Elliot is a Marine in the war against Iraq. His Pop is a Vietnam Veteran. His mom (Ginny) was an army nurse who met his dad in the war. His Grandpop is a veteran of the Korean War. These are the voices of Quiara Alegria Hudes’ Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue. Three generations of proud Puerto Ricans serving in the American Military. From the start, Brian Clinnin’s scenic design suggests jungles, battlefields, tents, barracks, gardens, all blending into one another.
As Fugue proceeds we begin to comprehend how war has suffused the lives of Elliot, his Mom and Dad and Grandpop. At the outset, Elliot appears freshly wrapped in a towel, and dresses, but not before showing us how fit he is. Clean and untainted? We follow him through basic training and letters he sends back home, before he is sent to the battlefield. Hudes creates a surreal montage of Elliot’s experience: downtime and getting drunk, the terror of warfare, but also anticipation, the mind wandering (as in a fugue) the strangeness of intense injury, longing for his favorite foods back home. Then the drama opens up as Pop, Mom, Grandpop weave in their own experiences, creating a connective tissue, a complicated, rich, intense narrative that demonstrates how military service changes them. Not only memories but part of who they are.
There is something stirring, something vibrant and sad and subversive in Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue. Hudes neither condemns nor celebrates the life of a soldier. There are comical moments, melancholy, dreamlike, horrific, reflective. The story of this family is nuanced and complex. All events are given equal value, so the impact of this story is subtle, yet unforgettable. We are gradually drenched in this family’s experiences, engaged in their sense of pride, shock, resignation, lack of direction, the dozens of shades and values that turn the human mind. Director David Lozano and this utterly submerged, remarkable cast have created a theatrical exploration like none other, powerful, astonishing, exquisite, overwhelming in its steadfast tenderness.
The good people at Water Tower Theatre were kind enough to invite me to Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, though it was too late in the run for me to post my review in a timely manner. I thank them for this. It played January 26th-February 18th, 2018.
Water Tower Theatre : 15650 Addison Road, Addison, Texas 75001972-450-6262. www.watertowertheatre.org.