The Vietnam War plays a major part in "1959 Pink Thunderbird," which opened Friday at Indian Head's Black Box Theatre. The comical yet poignant two-act play revolves around the war's effect on three couples in a small southern town.
Each member of the cast of five, three women and two brothers, is trying to come to terms with an unpopular war and its continuing effect on their lives. Despite their troubles, both spiritual and material, their experience seems to teach them that there is always something to be thankful for.
Rob Leeper, left, and Craig Hower play brothers Ray and Roy Caulder, who discuss Roy's Vietnam War experiences.
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In the first act, Elizabeth, played by Melanie G. Evans, is visited on her back porch in Maynard, Tex., by her longtime friend, Hattie Dealing, played by Yvonne Nutter. The two watch television, folding clothes as they try to answer the questions put to contestants on "Let's Make a Deal."
As the two friends watch game shows, with Nutter impeccable in her role as a well-dressed, hard-drinking woman, Elizabeth keeps an eye on the back window. She is watching for her husband, Roy, a recently returned Vietnam veteran who is on his way home from a two-day trip in his 1959 pink Thunderbird.
Fueled by several shots of bourbon, Hattie tells Elizabeth that her husband is "no good." Elizabeth acknowledges that Roy has been cheating on her. She longs for him to be "back the way he used to be" -- before the nightmares about the war, when he could hold a job and before he made her quit a job that had made her happy.
Elizabeth then reveals a secret: She is expecting a child. "I hope he can handle it," she says of Roy, "because he sure can't handle himself these days."
Enter Amy Lee into the backyard conversation. It is clear that Hattie and Amy Lee do not much care for each other. The very religious Amy Lee, hilariously portrayed by Lydia Kraniotis, soon falls victim to the bourbon offered by Elizabeth.
When the drink sets Hattie and Amy Lee to gossiping about Roy, Elizabeth sends them on their way. Alone, she weeps for the future she shares with Roy and their unborn child.
Following intermission, Act 2 finds brothers Roy and Ray Caulder sharing beers outside Angel's Bar in Maynard.
As Roy relates his experiences in the Vietnam War, the brothers are joined by Cletis, who is married to Amy Lee.
Roy quickly tires of Cletis, whom he considers uptight and boorish. When Roy heads off to the men's room, Cletis reveals to Ray that he "borrowed" Roy's prized Thunderbird and crashed it into a tree.
Before Cletis can admit what happened, when Ray returns, he declares his love for three things: his wife (Elizabeth), his country and his car -- the now-demolished Thunderbird.
In a hilarious exchange between brothers Roy (Craig Hower) and Ray (Rob Leeper), the fate of the car is disclosed. As the story ends, Roy and Ray sing an uproariously funny rendition of "Your Cheatin' Heart," followed by Ray asking his brother whether he's still mad.
"Yes," Roy deadpans, prompting boisterous laughter from the audience, to which his brother responds, "You can always get a new car."
"It won't be the same," Roy responds. "But things could be worse. There's always something to be thankful for. At least we don't live in Oklahoma!"
"1959 Pink Thunderbird," 3 p.m. today; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and April 22, 23, 29 and 30; 3 p.m. next Sunday, April 24 and May 1. Black Box Theatre, Indian Head Center for the Arts, 4185 Indian Head Hwy., Indian Head. Adults, $15; students and seniors, $12. Special show and dinner combination available at $30 a person, includes three-course meal from the Citrus Cafe's pre-theater dinner menu and a ticket to the play. 301-743-3040, 800-494-8497 or www.indianheadblackbox.org.
