Review by James Wilkinson
A Piece of My Heart – Written by Shirley Lauro. Directed by Nora Hussey. Set Design by Janie Howland. Costume Design by Chelsea Kurl. Lighting Design by Matt Whiton. Projection Design by Johnathan Carr. Sound Design by George Cooke. Dramaturgy by Laura Zawarski. Presented by Wellesley Repertory Theatre, at Wellesley College 106 Central Street, Wellesley through June 24.
There’s been a long overdue push in recent years, for the inclusion of a wider range of voices and experiences in mainstream culture. I found myself thinking about this while I was watching Wellesley Repertory Theatre’s production of Shirley Lauro’s A Piece of My Heart – precisely because the production is a prime example of what can happen when you let the perspectives of underrepresented groups into the room. Suddenly we’re able to come at institutions, narratives and historical events from new angles. The Vietnam War looms large for artists of a certain generation and can seem like a “been there/done that” topic. Artistic mediums have been dissecting both the war itself and the circumstances surrounding it since before it was even over. But as I was watching Wellesley Rep’s show, I realized that while I could easily name a number of cultural artistic touchstones that told the story of the men in that war, (Born on the Fourth of July, Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter, the works of Tim O’Brien, etc.), there weren’t any stories that immediately came to mind that focused on the women who acted beside those men. That’s where Lauro’s play and Wellesley Rep’s production comes in. In addition to being a finely crafted evening of theater, A Piece of My Heart provides a necessary history lesson on a traditionally underserved group, female Vietnam Vets.
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