Heroes
Geffen Playhouse
April 10-May 27
Set on the eve of the 1960s, “Heroes” is a portrait of three very different World War I veterans who lead a life of quiet isolation in a seemingly forgotten retirement home. Their days are filled up admiring young schoolgirls, scanning the French newspaper Le Monde and amusing themselves with a pet dog that happens to be made of stone.
Gustave (George Segal), the group’s self-appointed leader, has only been in the home for a few months and enjoys his reclusive lifestyle. He is noted as both an aristocrat and the group’s only genuine war hero.
Henri (Len Cariou) suffers from a bad leg but does not let that get in his way when it comes to women. He enjoys hobbling by the girls’ school during the time allotted to his daily constitutional and is not shy when it comes to expressing his love that knows no age.
Philippe (Richard Benjamin) swears that the stone dog is moving, and he wakes up from fainting spells yelling, “We’ll take “˜em from the rear captain!” We later learn that the captain to which he refers has nothing to do with the battlefield. Philippe is paralyzed by his fear of the home’s head nurse, whom he believes is trying to murder him because of his birthday.
Though Gustave, Henri and Philippe are brought together by their battle wounds, “Heroes” is not wartime service.
Neither the men nor the play are about the past. The trio, with each carrying individual war scars, could easily descend into a state of abject self-pity. But instead of trading war stories, they discuss their best techniques for picking up women and the swaying beauty of the poplar trees.
To distract from their sedentary lifestyle and relive their long-past glory days, the men plan a military-style escape to a distant poplar grove. They settle on this plan, as going to Indochina might be a bit much for a gang of seniors who suffer from shrapnel-induced blackouts, anxiety attacks and crippled limbs.
Though the audience knows the trio’s odds of success are only slightly greater than that of Godot showing up (he doesn’t), their conviction and brotherhood almost make up for their physical and mental disabilities.
It may be the crazy leading the blind, but that is beside the point. They plan the trip in order to live again.
By plotting their course on a map and tying themselves together with a garden hose, they are able to make the journey without leaving the confines of their beloved terrace.
“Heroes,” translated by Tom Stoppard, was written by Gérald Sibleyras and originally titled “Le Vent des Peupliers.” The Geffen production marks the American debut and is directed by Thea Sharrock, who also helmed the British run.
“Heroes” walks the line between comedy and drama. Sibleyras’ dialogue and jokes are funny and purposefully unsettling.
Yes, falling into a hole and getting muddy can be humorous, but an 80-year-old falling into another veteran’s grave is macabre.
Sibleyras flirts with these distinctions throughout the play as the men admit that they are “rotting” but fail to make any real changes in their lives.
Benjamin, Cariou and Segal carry the 90-minute play with ease. It is rare to watch three equally matched actors perform with one another. Their chummy repartee fills the work with color and a relaxed humor.
The technical aspects of the production are outstanding.
Robert Jones constructed a terrace so beautiful that the audience understands why the veterans are so hesitant to leave it physically.
Howard Harrison’s lighting design visually underscores both the passing of the seasons and the inevitable passing of each man’s life.
“Heroes” at the Geffen Playhouse is an outstanding production that might fail to click with a younger audience.
Like the world of the 1960s, the younger generations of today have no reference point for understanding veterans of the first World War.
At times, the characters and their dialogue can begin to feel antiquated ““ but perhaps that is the real point of Sibleyras’ script. His characters live in a world where they are no longer appreciated or remembered, leaving them, and at times their audience, searching for more.