Total Rating: 
****
Opened: 
November 3, 2012
Ended: 
November 24, 2012
Country: 
USA
State: 
California
City: 
Los Angeles
Company/Producers: 
United States Veterans' Artists Alliance & Rogue Machine Theatre
Theater Type: 
Regional
Theater: 
United States Veterans' Artists Alliance Theater
Theater Address: 
10858 Culver Boulevard
Phone: 
855-585-5185
Website: 
roguemachinetheatre.com
Running Time: 
90 min
Genre: 
Drama
Author: 
John DiFusco
Director: 
John Perrin Flynn
Review: 

In The Long Way Home, John DiFusco looks back at the origins of his world-changing Vietnam war play, Tracers, with characteristic power, honesty and compassion. A not-quite one-man show -- Al. Keith deftly helps with percussion and voices -- The Long Way Homeis dedicated to "the 59,000 who missed The Freedom Bird" -- in other words, all those who died in that terrible and unnecessary war.

Tracers was first produced in 1980, but it is still relevant today, as DiFusco points out, with Iraq and Afghanistan continuing to put young American soldiers in harm's way (and the local populace suffering grievously as well). That is why Tracers continues to be performed around the world: its anti-war theme is both universal and timeless.

How that play grew from a workshop collaboration between DiFusco and a small group of angry, blasted Nam vets to become a landmark theatrical event makes for a compelling story. DiFusco tells it well, commanding the stage as he describes the evolution of the experimental project, bringing to life the various characters who proved important to Tracers’ success -- Ron Sossi at the Odyssey Theater in L.A., Gary Sinise at Steppenwolf in Chicago, and finally Joseph Papp at the Public Theater in New York City.

On one level, The Long Way Home is a case study in the creative process, the making of a famous play; but in a deeper sense, it is a meditation on the nature of war, the impact it has on those who have lived and survived it, often with dark psychic consequences.

The play is not all darkness, though. On the contrary, it is speckled with humor, bawdiness and laughter, especially in its depiction of 60s parties, pot-smoking and love affairs.

DiFusco also investigates some of the Native-American rituals which have influenced him. With the help of director John Perrin Flynn, he manages to juggle all these balls in dexterous fashion, aided by the judicious use of video projection.

In attendance on opening night were several members of the original cast of Tracers, plus John Densmore, a bandmate of the late Jim Morrison, whose music is heard on The Long Way Home’s soundtrack.

'The Long Way Home' Is Heartfelt and Dynamic

Cast: 
John DiFusco, Al. Keith
Technical: 
Set: Ted Haler & Ted Demos; Projection/Multimedia/Sound: Corwin Evans; Lighting: Michael Redfield; Stage Manager: Parisa Morid; Videography/Graphics: Andrew Galves.
Critic: 
Willard Manus
Date Reviewed: 
November 2012