Review: Former US Army Captain Laura Westley's WAR VIRGIN: MY JOURNEY OF REPRESSION, TEMPTATION AND LIBERATION

I don't know if I've ever seen a show quite like WAR VIRGIN: MY JOURNEY OF REPRESSION, TEMPTATION AND LIBERATION, former U.S. Army Captain Laura Westley's outrageous bio-play that was performed at The Palladium in St. Petersburg on Saturday, September 17th, and will be touring various U.S. cities in the coming weeks. I've seen lots of coming-of-age sex farces and plenty of war comedies, but this is something else. This is like Spring Awakening meets The Hurt Locker with South Park-like humor sprinkled throughout. It's part war biography; part hilarious chronicle of sexual awakening and repression; part anti-religious and anti-war diatribe; part peculiar variety show; and yes, even part drag act. It has something for everyone as well as something to offend everyone. Mature audiences, especially those with ties to the military, will enjoy it, but more prudish folks may be bent out of shape by much of it. Its masturbation scene alone makes the similar self-love sequence in Spring Awakening look like an episode of Little House on the Prairie.

WAR VIRGIN (great title) is based on the true-life story of Ms. Westley, a New Port Richey resident who graduated from West Point and, after 9/11, found herself in Baghdad, a war she (and so many of us) never really understood. All through her life she struggled with her virginity, but never really lost it until after her tour of duty. It's an interesting concept, and a tale well worth telling, but something seems somewhat amiss and a little haphazard in the stage presentation. It's presentational and messy, but it's also extremely entertaining. Rarely was I bored with her virgin exploits and the re-telling of her military life, but rarely was I enlightened either. I know, I know...it's a comedy; who needs depth? It has moments of poignancy, but nothing that sustains. Even the best comedies can make us look at ourselves, examine various issues through laughter, without resorting to didacticism.

In some ways, it's a celebration--a party onstage with the audience invited for the fun. It's a little bit of everything--a soldier's story of sex and abstinence with a plethora of crazy humor and sex jokes. Act 1 seemed more successful than Act 2, but maybe that's because the audience was involved more in Act 1, and Act 2 didn't quite know where it was going.

Much of the show's success goes to Ms. Westley, for her performance as much as for her writing. She's such a natural onstage, and having the actual heroine tell her tale makes the whole thing seem authentic (more so than if someone else played the narrator). She's a compelling performer with spot-on timing, and she's also so damned likable. And as her younger self, Katelyn Stewart matches her well physically and is simply marvelous; the two of them play off each other quite well. And both display powerhouse singing pipes. Their entrance to the tune of "The Star Spangled Banner," where the audience stands and sings along with the two Lauras, is nothing short of phenomenal.

I like how Westley changed the lyrics to various tunes, especially a classic Norah Jones song: "My hand is drenched in lube/And you are grabbing my boob..." There's even an entertaining song and dance about cleaning malodorous latrines with guns and toilet plungers instead of canes.

The supporting cast serves the show adequately. Especially strong is Ashley McConnell , a fitness model on the Home Shopping Network. When he removed his shirt to show off his muscular chest, you could hear female squeals erupt from the audience. He really gives us the idea of a man who lusts after Laura but, more importantly, he plays a soldier who would take a bullet for his partner. In the military, there is something that goes beyond lust; it's called integrity.

Michael Cote does well enough as the father, and Gloria de Luna gives great silent reactions as Laura's mom. Jordan Harner is effective as Laura's de-virginizing friend.

But not all of WAR VIRGIN makes sense. I wondered if the drag part played by Chazz Kleber, an audience favorite, was actually necessary for anything but to pump up the energy of the evening. Kleber is quite talented and certainly striking onstage (you can't take yours eyes off him); and he dances evocatively (and even does an eye-popping split). And I love a good drag act, but maybe not here. It just seemed added on for no overall purpose; it didn't mesh with the storyline. But I guess that's the wonders of WAR VIRGIN...it has everything plus the kitchen sink, even a drag performer running on and off the stage throughout it. At times I felt like I was at Hamburger Mary's without the fried mac n' cheese.

The script, based on Westley's book, certainly could use some tightening and rearranging. I would like to see more exploits in Baghdad. Westley is obviously there during a war (it's in the title), but in the show, all she seems to do there is....shop. And shopping in Baghdad doesn't seem like a show I'd want to see (depends on the characters, I guess). WAR VIRGIN would be stronger with more focus on the incidents during that time, and I'm sure Laura Westley came into some close calls. Where were they?

The ending, with the singing of "Desperado" at her father's deathbed, is extremely moving. After that, Westley brilliantly performs "Con Te Partiro," a song made famous by Andrea Bocelli, and it works (though it's quite obvious in its need to induce tears). But this section, the show's most poignant, is undercut by a totally inappropriate scene in heaven that took away from the power that preceded it. WAR VIRGIN is raucously funny, then it makes us cry, but then unfortunately it undermines itself at the very end. The key to true art is rightly knowing when exactly to end a piece.

Lil Barcaski's clever direction keeps the show rolling along. You get the feeling that she's watching over a giant playground where her actors get a chance to do anything. Yes, there were some pauses for costume changes that were attempted to be covered by Laura's mom and father doing the Macarena. Some scene changes were just way too long. And one actor in particular was a bit iffy on his lines and cues. But otherwise the pace worked.

I wish a lighting change would happen when Laura first mentions 9/11, which is a before and after when it comes to her life.

The audience ate the whole show up and presented Westley with an instant standing ovation. It was certainly a unique experience, and I wondered if I had ever seen something like it before--a ribald show on a serious subject (sexual repression goes to war). It's a hoot, but it's a hoot with brains and something to say. That the show gets a bit preachy at times--much too much for my tastes (even though I agree with Ms. Westley's sentiments)--is to be expected with the subject matter.

WAR VIRGIN perfectly demonstrates the everyday sacrifices of U.S. soldiers, from surviving on powdery eggs to the noxious smell of porto-potties. Still, the whole thing sort of feels like a work in progress. It will be fun to see how it evolves. So if you're in one of the cities that is showcasing WAR VIRGIN, by all means see it. Laugh, debate, enjoy. Isn't that what theatre is all about?

Laura Westley's WAR VIRGINS will be appearing in the following cities: Boston, Ma (Saturday, September 24th, Virginia Wimberly Theatre); Asheville, NC (Saturday October *th and Sunday, October 9th, Altomonte Theatre); West Point, NY (Friday, October 14th; The Thayer Hotel); White Plains, NY (Saturday, October 15th; Play Group Theatre); Savannah, GA (Friday, November 4th; Saturday, November 5th; Sunday, November 6th; Muse Arts Warehouse); Washington, DC (Thursday, Nov. 10; Friday, November 11th; and Saturday, November 12th ). For more information, please go to www.warvirgin.com

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