Photos by Mark Turik.
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The world premiere of “Someone Will Remember Us” continues the true story of “Boots on The Ground,” which played at Trinity Repertory Company back in 2006 and told of Rhode Islanders deployed in the Iraq War. It examines how the legacy lives on almost twenty years later. This show combines the testimonies of U.S. military veterans, a Gold Star Family, Iraqi civilians, and refugees living in Rhode Island. It examines how the war affected these people then and how they still deal with it all these years later. We see the emotional toll these events had back then and how conflicts in other parts of the globe still concern us today. “Someone Will Remember Us” is the fourth show of Trinity Rep’s 61st season and is well-directed by Christopher Windom. He has his cast members deliver multilayered performances as the residents of this state who were profoundly affected by the Iraqi War. Each of the different groups of people convey their stories and interact with each other in this powerful one-act play written by Deborah Salem Smith and Charlie Thurston. Dr. Michelle Cruz and the two authors create an informative, emotion-packed show that resonates with the audience in a profound manner, especially with the uncertain times that this country is currently facing with the rest of the world, and hopefully will help them and us heal from these traumatic events. This powerhouse production receives a spontaneous standing ovation at the close of the show.
Windom blends the comic moments with the dramatic ones to create a well-balanced show. The script weaves the stories of the many characters together so the audience can understand how the sorrow and death of loved ones, especially during wartime, is not easily forgotten no matter how many years pass by. Playing the Gold Star parents Ed and Regina are Trinity Rep resident company members Stephen Thorne and Rachael Warren, who do an incredible job displaying the grief of losing their child Holly Charette during this war and how it still affects them almost 19 years later. We follow them from their first meeting together, getting married and combining their families, her daughter and son with his son and eventually their son together. The grief comes out at different moments, and speaking about it seems to help, especially when they converse with an Iraqi war veteran who was there when Holly’s truck blew up on June 23, 2005. This magnificent scene leaves the audience sobbing at its poignant and powerful impact.
The scenes are blended together to tell a story of empathy and compassion for the Iraqi refugees who had to leave their native country due to the harm Saddam Hussain’s rise to power in 1979 did to the country. How medical and education decline occurred during the Iraq/Iran war, the Gulf War, and when the United States left there in 2011 and had to return in 2014. This connection with each other is important and helps them deal with the trauma after all these years. Stephen also plays a military chaplain and examines how this man dealt with all the tragedy around him.
Windom gives each member of the cast their moment to shine in their roles as they discuss how the war impacted their lives and how they dealt with them in the past and must continue to deal with these issues currently. Six other splendid performers are also involved with this show. Dereks Thomas portrays Tyrone, a fellow army vet we watch from when he joined the service and who served in the war with Iraqi translators whom he grew close to and lost in an assassination. He also plays Omar, who managed to escape the horrors of the war to finally open the Refugee Dream Center in Rhode Island. One of the most outstanding performances is by Ashley Aldarondo as Angelica who makes her debut at Trinity. She tells how she grew up in New Jersey, entered the Marine Corps after high school graduation without telling her mother, and read the naughty and graphic book Addiction, which she shared with Holly. These scenes and a scene when she becomes a Zumba instructor with the cast dancing with her are comical. However, Angelica and Holly are assigned to do body searches on women and children in Iraq, and on June 23, 2005, their truck is blown up, with Angelica being severely injured and put into an induced coma. Ashley delivers a gut-wrenching performance in this role, especially when she finally meets the Charette parents. Allison Jones also shines as Millareisha, another Marine vet who served with Holly in Iraq. She bunked over Holly’s bed, which was decorated with pictures of Holly’s boyfriend, Alex’s photos. Their stories are all enticing and bring greater understanding to the people who fought in the war and are still dealing with it. They move us to tears and laughter at their trials and tribulations. We see how they deal with their PSTD at last.
The other three performers play Iraqi refugees and deliver heartfelt performances as they can no longer live in their home country due to threats on their lives and their family’s lives, too. Jihan Haddad, as Sara, displays how, at a young age, her family was impacted by her father being an interpreter for the Americans and had to flee the country and eventually end up in Springfield, MA. Josephine Moshiri Elwood, as Wafaa, speaks in the Iraqi language at times and relates how a once thriving country with strong medical coverage and economic strength descended into chaos after the dictatorship and wars. Jade Ziane, as Kamal, delivers a strong performance as we witness how a thriving career that he could have had is snatched away by divisiveness after the Iraqi War from 2003 to 2011. We observe how the war tore them from their homeland and how they had to adjust to living in a strange new world, and how they adjusted to it.
The show has a powerful impact on the audience especially with the world once more in turmoil with wars and unrest. Hopefully, learning from past mistakes will help us to a brighter and more hopeful outlook for the future. The scenic design is by Tanya Orellana, the costumes by Shahrzad Mazsheri, lighting by Emma Deane with sound by Peter Sasha Hurowitz and expert vocal and dialect coach, Sade Namei. Stage manager Polly Feliciano keeps the one-hour and 45-minute play moving smoothly with the cast moving stage pieces onstage for each scene. So, for a superb show that resonates more today than ever before, be sure to catch “Someone Will Remember Us” at Trinity Repertory Company. Contact them at trinityrep.com or give them a call at their box office to catch this must-see show of the year. Tell them Tony sent you.
SOMEONE WILL REMEMBER US (23 January to 23 February)
Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington St, Providence, RI
1(401)351-4242
