Ugly Lies the Bone
The Garden Theater
By Lindsey Ferrentino
Directed by Trudy Bruner
Starring Tricia Jane Wiles, Clare Lopez, Eddie Ortega
Winter Garden, FL
War may be hell, but the aftermath may be much worse. Jess (Wiles) did three tours in Afghanistan and is lucky to survive her constant pain and PTSD tortured her days, and loneliness her nights. But there’s hope, an immersive 3d simulation teaches her how to suppress pain and gain strength. She’ll need it; her ex-boyfriend Stevie (Ortega) meets up with her and it feels like he’s trying to romance her under the nose of an unseen wife. Off to one side we meet Jesse’s sister Kacie (Lopez). She plans an unwanted party, and her boyfriend Kelvin (Zack Roundy) tries to get Jesse to at least like him. Good luck on that. But there’s good news: Zacks not as sleazy as he seems, and the virtual world does help Jess adapt and grow strong. It’s a feel good ending, complete with space shuttle double sonic boom goodness. This is live theater, in a real theater space and social distanced for your survival. There’s a clever set and some high tech visual effects, and it’s a shame so few people will experience them. Jess has the toughest roles on stage and in story, where the one they Almost got. Most of her body parts survived, but few works as he should, and we grimace as she manipulates her damaged limbs to just move around. The ex BF Stevie (Ortega) seem goofier, and he’s pretty happy working the Mini-mart and mopping up spilled Slurpee’s. Has also more morally ambiguous note: he’s married and while Jess isn’t exactly an affair, its more than “hey, good to see you we should do lunch” date. Claire means well as well, but she’s too removed from the war to understand it, and Zack appears even slimier yet really has everyone interest in heart. When it looks like he’s going to steal names vacation fund, he’s rally out to get her to enjoy what she has. There’s never a great ending for a war wounded human, but we can look for hope. Here that hope lies with technology, and maybe, just maybe, this time will work. But the real answer is don’t go to war without a damn good reason, and the reasons we are fighting for today seem weak and distant. Let’s stop feeding our best and brightest to this monster.
