The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Arts March 11, 2005

A LARGE CRITIC

The beds were a mess. When I think of a military barracks, one thing that comes to mind is tightly made up racks. Yet, in Streamers, the beds were torn apart, thrown about and peppered with blood. And what a better symbol for the confused, disjointed nature of so many young soldiers than a bed they never unmade but were still forced to lie in.

One of David Rabe’s many quasi-didactic Vietnam plays, Streamers is a piece that wears its politics on a camouflaged sleeve. Performance of this piece in our current political environment makes for an interesting contrast. While quite obviously anti-war, Streamers makes the Vietnam War look like a preferred alternative to battling the ethereal “terror”. While these young men fear the near-eventuality of being sent to Vietnam, one could argue that a potential draftee in today’s America would not have even that luxury; one day you may be off to Iraq and the next, it may be Iran or North Korea or Upper Volta. Rabe has unknowingly stated that the current war leaves us in a place less desirable than the messiest prolonged conflict in modern US history.

Streamers is not a simple polemic. Aside from the politics of war, Rabe gives us plenty of drama to boot. The finest moments of the play were those between Richie (Carl Hurvich) and Carlyle (Baraka Noel). Particularly compelling were the moments when the stage was nearly black and the actors, submerged in the environment, reached a new level of commitment.

In the dark, Carlyle’s sexual advances on Richie seem less threatening than previously, as if he’s stating something understood and the rest simply need reminding. At the same time, Richie displays previously unseen strength by way of his perverted companionship with Carlyle, preferring the aggressive embrace of a man who calls him “punk” rather than the paper friendship of his roommates who refuse to acknowledge that he is homosexual. Both actors were fortunate to have the other, as their own performances resonated nicely in tandem.

The other two principles, Billy and Roger (Mike Blejer and Quentin Jones), were less impressive but not inadequate. Taking such large roles for the first time in their Oberlin acting careers, both Blejer and Jones turned in their best performances to date.

One question that is worth raising regards Hurvich’s portrayal of Richie. There seems to be a disjoint between what would be allowed on a military base in 1965 and Richie’s behavior. Such flamboyant behavior, clearly betraying his homosexuality, would certainly not be allowed. Yes, the play does take place in his room so some of the behavior can be understood, but Richie minces his way back from the shower just the same. While the characterization is strong, this particular Richie seems out of place.

But perhaps that is the case for all of these men. They all seem to be out of place in the military and that, maybe, is the point. Each of them is an unmade bed in an anonymous barrack.
 
 

   


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