Stephanie Zadravec’s “Honey Brown Eyes” at Theater J is a passionate, thought-provoking play about war, whose serious message is intensified by its implied comments on youth, age, courage and the disastrous effects of conflict-not just on nations but on brothers and friends.
Set in Bosnia in 1992, at the start of the Balkan war, “Honey Brown Eyes” traces the stories of two soldiers. One, a Serb paramilitary named Dragon (Alexander Strain) enters a kitchen in Visegrad pointing a gun at the weaponless woman who lives there. The other, an unarmed Bosnian resistance fighter named Denis (Joel Reuben Ganz) enters a kitchen in Sarajevo, begging mercy of an older woman.
As the stories spin out slowly, it becomes apparent that three of the characters have known one another in earlier lives, when it was possible to be united by music, affection and shared interests. In the unfolding play, the web of war entraps the three and pulls them together in the cruelest of ways.
Strain is a powerful actor who smoothly pulls off a total transformation. He’s zany and irresponsible at the beginning of Scene One, but forced to mature instantaneously by its end. Ganz deftly turns from a cowering animal to a joyful creature as he comes to know the feisty Jovanka, played with vigor and humor by Barbara Rappaport. Maia DeSanti is excellent as the brave, controlled housewife in Visegrad. Eleven-year-old Taylor Dawson is very effective as her daughter.
Director Jessica Lefkow has maximed the threat and tension levels throughout the play, emphasizing how the madness of war forces the warriors closer together. James Kronzer’s set underscores that fact, as the division between the separate spaces shrinks, two kitchens begin to coalesce and the stories of five embattled souls meld together.
One of the most intriguing elements of this production is Matt Nielson’s sound design. From the energetic Serbo/Croatian rap and soulful folk music to the sound of an American television laugh-track creating a counterpoint to gunshots, “Honey Brown Eyes” offers endless suggestions about the impact of culture on culture.
If you go
“Honey Brown Eyes”
* Venue: Theater J, Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW
* Performances: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 30
* Tickets: $30 to $55
* More info: 800-494-8497; www.theaterj.org
