Rambo: The Missing Years

"Rambo the Missing Years," was a delight on 2 levels. First, it helped correct a piece of history that has been distorted in recent years; the huge movement of GIs against the war in Vietnam. From hundreds of anti-war newspapers to thousands of active duty personel at demonstrations, American GIs played a big role in ending the war. Secondly, as pure theater, the play was riviting. Mr. Petric moved seamlessly from character to character. The accents and personalities rang true to this veteran of the army circa. 1966. This tightly constructed play never lagged and never lacked for humor and drama.

Unlike any other one man show I have seen. The officers and the fellow draftees become real people to the audience as Petrick shows what it was like to be a GI and an antiwar organizer during the Vietnam War.

A wonderful, captivating performance about a soldier who, in spite of his objections to the Vietnam war, worked within the system to bring about change and awareness. The variety of characters, brought to life by both Petricks body and voice, kept the story clear and engaging throughout the show. While it deals strictly with the Vietnam war, there was almost a certain undertone that commented - though perhaps unintentionally - on the current conflicts carried by our "all volunteer" military. A strong performance and a good story makes this Fringe show definitely worth seeing.

In a society ever more encumbered by political correctness, it is hard to imagine a time when a soldier could openly protest a war he was fighting. Back in the 60s, Howard Petrick was just such a soldier. Drafted into service during the Viet Nam era, he refused to leave his anti-war sentiments behind using his own unique brand of passive resistance to confound military brass at every turn. ?Rambo: The Missing Years? is a humorous and touching depiction of how then Private Petrick managed to survive his stint in the army with his ethics in tact. Along the way, Petrick?s engaging memoir includes a host of military characters that are both hilarious and chilling in their depiction of everyday life in the service.

its no easy task to keep peoples attention for a solid hour of a no-special-effects one-man-show, but this honest piece of storytelling does a solid job of it. its powerful as truthful testimony and as a straightforward story about this mans struggle as a draftee organizing other soldiers against the war in vietnam. he is humble, unassuming, and does not have to try "too hard," as is often the case with solo performance, to engage the listener with his cast of archetypal, but not stereotypical, military men. if i called it "understated," its not an insult. its low-key, but powerful. its a great story that people of my 23 generation have heard too many times through a bubble gummy filter, and its refreshing and inspiring as his personal testimony.