Still Life

The setting of “Still Life” is in present time, but the focus of the play is on the Viet Nam War era. Three characters address their experience in this time era. Their experience is told in a documentary style. The characters are behind a long table with pictures scattered everywhere, ashtrays, and water glasses. They address the audience instead of a single being when being interviewed. The interviewer does not include the questions being asked …

…onto one character. Whether or not that was the initial plan of Emily Mann, author of “Still Life,” confusion is brought about when focused on one character intermingled with others. Possibly if the script was separated at each characters line, comprehension would have been easier and the play would have been easier to focus on the topic of the Viet Nam War era, with the protests, sex, drugs, and the after life of the Vets.