Champaign-Urbana's Community Theatre Resource

  • Home
  • Now Playing
  • Stoplight Review
  • AUDITIONS
  • 10 Out of 12 Review
  • Human Terrain Review
  • She Kills Monsters Review
  • Playing with Fire Review
  • Doubt - A Parable Review
  • Tartuffe Review
  • Recent Reviews
  • Review Archive
  • C-U Theatre on Race
  • C-U Theatre Resource Page
  • Globes
  • Land Acknowledgement
  • On Rick Orr Resignation
  • Show Archive
  • LU Hires Eric Schacht
  • More
    • Home
    • Now Playing
    • Stoplight Review
    • AUDITIONS
    • 10 Out of 12 Review
    • Human Terrain Review
    • She Kills Monsters Review
    • Playing with Fire Review
    • Doubt - A Parable Review
    • Tartuffe Review
    • Recent Reviews
    • Review Archive
    • C-U Theatre on Race
    • C-U Theatre Resource Page
    • Globes
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • On Rick Orr Resignation
    • Show Archive
    • LU Hires Eric Schacht

Champaign-Urbana's Community Theatre Resource

  • Home
  • Now Playing
  • Stoplight Review
  • AUDITIONS
  • 10 Out of 12 Review
  • Human Terrain Review
  • She Kills Monsters Review
  • Playing with Fire Review
  • Doubt - A Parable Review
  • Tartuffe Review
  • Recent Reviews
  • Review Archive
  • C-U Theatre on Race
  • C-U Theatre Resource Page
  • Globes
  • Land Acknowledgement
  • On Rick Orr Resignation
  • Show Archive
  • LU Hires Eric Schacht

Human Terrain Review

Review of Heartland Theatre's Human Terrain

She's Not A Soldier - So Call Her Mabry


Dr. Mabry  Hoffman is an anthropologist with the misguided and impossible task of  being embedded in the US Army in Iraq following the US invasion in the  early days of the Human Terrain System era (2007-2014). Playwright  Jennifer Blackmer's play "Human Terrain" uses the plight of Dr. Hoffman  and her efforts to understand and help the Army oxymoronically win the  "hearts and minds" of Iraqi citizens amidst the United States' military  occupation. Directed by Sandi Zielinski, Heartland Theatre presents this  powerful critique via an interrogation of Dr. Hoffman (Mindy Smith) by  an assistant attorney general, Kate, investigating a bombing incident  (Tania Arazi-Coambs). Coambs' neutral and grounded portrayal of Kate  helps progress the story and is present in the shadows throughout the  play - the adjudicating interrogator - while with the audience also  observing Dr. Hoffman's story.


The  Heartland Theatre stage has been turned into a hauntingly monochromatic  desert scene, with creative utilization of simple props to facilitate  our journey through Dr. Hoffman's recollections of her assignment in the  heart of Iraq and her engagements with various military personnel and  Iraqi civilians. Because her task is overtly non-military, Dr. Hoffman  endeavors to impress upon all she engages with that she is not a soldier  - she is simply Mabry. Despite her efforts to connect less formally  with the military and more intimately with the civilians, there is great  tension and conflict on both fronts.


Representing  the military perspective are three soldiers of varying age, rank and  temperament. Dave Lemmon powerfully portrays the most senior ranking officer, Captain  William Alford. David Ward plays the more experienced and jaded ("we are  trained to shoot haj's"), Jake Harrison. While Adam Alexander is the  still idealistic Cal Detty, who admires Dr. Hoffman and tries to walk  the thin line of dutifully and within protocol protecting Mabry while  bending some rules to aid her work. The three of them embody the  complexity - and perhaps the impossibility - of striving to find peace  while wielding a gun. Fortunately, the guns used on set - while menacing  and evoking fear and tension are clearly props with orange tips, and  are never aimed directly at another cast member or the audience.  Director Zielinski utilized not just a fight choreographer but also  movement choreographer and an Arabic linguistic expert for enhancing the  effect and realism on the stage.


The  linguistic success was most evident in the amazing portrayal of the  Iraqi woman, Adiliah, by Vicky Snyder. Snyder appeared completely  comfortable and natural with her Arabic lines. Adiliah, is strong,  likeable, and takes Mabry (and thus the audience) to task with the  preconceived assumptions of why Muslim women wear hijabs and niquabs,  and the Western views of how covering is somehow submissive and weak,  based on fear and lack of power. Adiliah says covering actually gives  her control and is like water over her skin - she sees without being  seen, knows without being known, and thus what she is is solely  controlled by her. It is powerful and definitely impactful upon Mabry -  both before intermission when she puts a veil on Mabry saying "you are  free - your sanctuary moves with you" - and at the end, in an incredibly  dramatic and beautifully staged and performed scene between the two  women.


The other Iraqi role is a young man,  Hemal, played dramatically and convincingly by Noe Cornejo Herrera.  Herrara also speaks Arabic beautifully while having to do so in the most  trying and emotionally fueled scenes.


While  the audience is given translations throughout the Arabic sections in a  subtle captioning, the acting and emoting is so well done that the  specific word meanings are helpful but not necessary. This is such an  important story and we are so pleased that a multicultural play has come  to Central Illinois and has been executed so carefully and lovingly by  Zielinski and her talented and energetic cast. It was a little jarring  to hear some seemingly inappropriate laughter at lines referencing  "enhanced interrogation" as if torture was somehow funny. However, what  we saw on the Heartland stage was incredible art brought forth by  incredible artists.


Hey we just saw this, and we're not crazy.

This show is special, so go see Mabry.

Copyright © 2023 C-U at the Show - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy

  • LU Hires Eric Schacht