Actor Under Fire

Midway through Actor Under Fire, I realized that I was, in fact, watching a performance. Writer and actor James Gleason is so warm and comfortable that it took me by surprise that I was in a theatre and not, as I had felt, in a living room listening to my own grandfather’s stories of Vietnam. Gleason’s one-man-show tells of his time in Vietnam. From his attempt to escape the draft by joining the priesthood, to his eventual self-discovery as a member of the touring troupe of actors entertaining the troops. From boot camp, to being cast in Neil Simon’s Star Spangled Girl, Gleason shares his bond with both the soldiers fighting the war, and with the Vietnamese people themselves. Gleason’s first hand account of the war is humorous, althoug... full review