‘Hearts’ shows human side of history

In recognition of the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, Las Vegas Little Theater is presenting "Purple Hearts," and it's a worthy tribute.

Three sailors are trying to survive in a sunken battleship just after the Japanese attack. They spend their time fighting among themselves, looking back on their lives, banging on pipes in hopes of getting rescued. Intertwined are scenes of the women they've left behind.

The drama alternates between the men's gradual acceptance of death, and the women's slow decision to move on with their lives. If this sounds morbid, it doesn't come across that way. There's a sweetness to director Paul Thornton's production that celebrates the human spirit rather than curses the fates.

Burgess Clark's script is overstated. But most of the cast members make their characters so real that we still get sucked into the story.

Scott Ast makes for a convincing bulldog of a bully as Spooner, who is as streetwise as he is cruel. Scott Jenkins is surprisingly believable in the difficult role of Whitman, the one serviceman who goes slowly mad.

And best of all, there's Matt Jordan as Lewis, the kid, the virgin, but the one who winds up being the most level-headed of all. Jordan comes across as the naive, gentle young man he's supposed to be, but when he gets violent, you know you don't want to mess with him. He's a versatile, effortless actor.

The women have less luck, mainly because they've been directed more in terms of emotion than character. But Mary O'Brien uses her dialogue as a tool to create a fully realized person, and her portrayal of Lewis' cantankerous mother is funny and moving.

Thornton, in addition to coaching some unusually layered performances, moves the action in the half-round playing area well.

Ron Lindblom's simple foreboding set does an expert job of giving us the sense of being underwater. Randall Brown's eerie lighting plays with shadows and reflections so that you suspect you're watching the action through the distorted haze of memory. When the women's scenes occur -- and the lights brighten -- it's as if we've come up for air.

I left the theater feeling I had experienced the human side of a historical event. I doubt I'll ever think of Pearl Harbor in the same way again.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.