An atmospheric, heart-felt exploration of the impact of the war in Vietnam on the American psyche, particularly with the soldiers who fought in it, this is timely production. At the end of the American engagement in the Vietnam War, America did not respond well to its returning soldiers. This led to a wider impact of disillusionment for those soldiers in what fighting for your country can mean. For those who may be puzzled by why a citizens’ populous could hold extreme viewpoints, this explores some of the reasons why that may be.
Writer and Performer Richard Vergette gives us a gruff white, semi-retired working-class man of a certain age, Jimmy: this is a man who works with cars, is hardworking and not quite at ease in the world. He is recently separated from his wife. He has a daughter who lives in New York (Jimmy is based in Detroit, a city full of tension). There is more to Jimmy than meets the eye of course. He describes himself as average but is a decorated war hero; he talks about his beloved daughter who it turns out was the product of his wife’s relationship with another man, but Jimmy undoubtedly is her father; he talks in offensive slang about differences in people, but one of his closest friends during the Vietnam War was from a non-white race; his much-loved daughter is also not white: he is a man of conflicts.
This is an insightful look at the complexity of relationships and how these change our perspectives on life, whether with people we know, work with, or the country in which we live. Vietnam as a war was controversial: soldiers were deployed but, on their return, what they had been through was dismissed, with a feeling that their sacrifice was for nothing – and yet there were many lives lost, life-changing injuries and mind-changing experiences. This happened during a time when men were not encouraged to talk and when Jimmy, thanks to the son of his friend who had died in front of him during the Vietnam conflict, invites Jimmy to the Vietnam War Memorial, this is revelatory in recognising what people mean to us. What Vergette gives us, as both a writer and performer, is an ending that is both devastating and uplifting. A highly recommended production that resonates today.
Show Time: 13-25 August (not 12) @ 16:00
C Alto
Ticket Prices: 13, 19-20 Aug £11 (£9); 14-16, 21-23 £13 (£11); 17-18, 24-25 £15 (£13)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/born-in-the-usa-leaving-vietnam
Accessible entry: Enter building from Victoria Terrace using permanent ramp. Take stairs or lift up two levels to first floor. There is level access to space. Accessible toilets at rear of on ground floor foyer. Wheelchair access type: Building Lift. Stairs: Information not supplied; Age: 14+ (Guideline); Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket. Policy applies to: Children under 2 years.