Two things strike you when watching the world premiere of brothers David and Joseph Zellnik's new musical Yank at the third annual Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival: The Zellniks have penned a very promising musical, and the festival still has a way to go when it comes to recruiting acting talent.

The Zellniks are clearly in love with the musical theater form; Yank is an old-fashioned musical in the style of Oklahoma!, yet it's far from an entirely sunny show. How could it be? Only the greatest of optimists could imagine that a 1940's love affair between an army private and a young, male war journalist would have a happy ending.

Recalling the "best years" of his life from a whe[...]