Stagebeat

An ambitious critique of America as the Great Imperialist Satan, In the Heart of America tracks two gay G.I.s stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War of 1990 and also has to do with the ghost of a Vietnamese woman chasing the soul of Lt. William Calley, who led...

August 12, 2004

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An ambitious critique of America as the Great Imperialist Satan, In the Heart of America tracks two gay G.I.s stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War of 1990 and also has to do with the ghost of a Vietnamese woman chasing the soul of Lt. William Calley, who led the infamous My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. Naomi Wallace's script doesn't make for particularly effective theater, and her ideas, while articulate and poetic, aren't very coherent. Robert Hooker's direction features detailed scene work, but he hasn't found a strong theatrical concept to give shape and focus to Wallace's wild, hallucinogenic narrative. While individual scenes click, the play as a whole lurches from sequence to sequence without much momentum or clarity. (Through Aug. 22, Sol Theatre Project, 1140 NE Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale, 954-525-6555) -- Ronald Mangravite

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