Theater Thursday - War Stories

We were given complimentary tickets to War Stories for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: War Stories

Where: The Tank 

              312 W. 36th St. 

              New York,

Who: Teens and Up

When: Through June 12, 2022

War Stories is an interesting new play in that it presents a type of character that is not normally seen in movies, books, and shows that pertain to World War II as one of its main characters is a pacifist. Pacifists are generally thought of more in terms of the Vietnam War and then they are not necessarily portrayed in a good way but as draft dodgers not as conscientious objectors to the war. In this play, Nat, the pacifist character, is not necessarily treated that well either. However, he is given the option of serving in a non-combat military role or volunteering for medical experiments instead of being jailed. Apparently, this is something that actually happened during World War II, that most people of today probably don't know about. 

The main plot of the show revolves around a woman named Ruth who is torn between her love for Nat and her own pro-war sentiment. Making her choice even harder is the fact that her own brother actually enlists so if she supports one of them she is essentially rejecting the other.  It is definitely not a good show for kids due to the subject matter which in addition to war deals with such topics as abortion, an extramarital affair, and more. 

The show is not exactly uplifting either after all it does deal with World War II.  While the characters do go through a lot and their stories are worthy of attention the show does drag a little at times. Also, the ending is fairly open-ended which anyone who likes their shows neatly wrapped up at the end may not enjoy. Still, if you are interested in a unique look at an aspect of World War II that you are probably unfamiliar with, you may enjoy it. 

And that's our view.

For more about War Stories or to purchase tickets, visit thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/2022/5/20/war-stories.

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All War Stories production photos by Hunter Canning