Theater Thursday - Memorial

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

What: Memorial

Where: Mezzanine Theatre /A.R.T.New York

             502 W. 53rd St.

             New York, NY

Who: Ages 15 and Up

When: Through February 19, 2023

These days the Vietnam War Memorial is one of the most meaningful, moving, and popular places you can visit in Washington D.C. It is hard to believe that the building of the memorial was actually quite contentious. Although there were no objections to the building of a memorial,  the design chosen angered some veterans.  They felt it didn't respect them enough. The new play, Memorial by Livian Yeh explores this controversy.

The play pits Maya  Lin, the bright-eyed visionary whose design was chosen against the hardened veteran, Colonel James Becker each staunch and unwavering in their opinions.  The roles are admirably played by  Angel Lin and James Patrick Nelson. Lin is particularly feisty and energetic in her portrayal of the idealistic young architectural student.  This actress, much like the character she plays, has a fine future ahead of her.  The rest of the cast does a fine job in their roles as well. 

The Vietnam era parallels the current time period in that so much of the best and worst of our country were on full display side by side. The playwright does an excellent job of depicting this juxtaposition in this very moving play. It is definitely worth seeing.

And that's our view. For more about Memorial or to purchase tickets, visit www.panasianrep.org/memorial

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Memorial production photos by Russ Rowland