IronAge Theatre&
IronAge Theatre&
Present The Speed of Darkness
at the Montgomery County Cultural Center 208 Dekalb Street, Norristown
"I'm an M.I.A.,boys, Missing in America" 
The cast of Speed of Darkness: l to R. Ray Saraceni as Lou, William Rayhillas Joe, Loretta Mestishen as Anne; sitting L to r. Jerry McLenigan as Eddie,Julia Siple as Mary. 
The play deals with the relationship between two Vietnam vets, Joe andLou trying to come to terms with their lives twenty years after their timein the service. Joe, after a difficult transition to civilian life, hasa successful business, a loving family and is one of the town's leadingcitizens. Underneath the public image though is a secret which threatensto destroy his family. The contradictions between Joe's private life andhis public persona are brought into sharp focus by the arrival of Lou,a homeless vet who knows what Joe is hiding. Playwrite Steve Tesich usesthe Vietnam War and its aftermath to examine the conflicts between a person'sduty to family and the community. Tesich burrows into the things that makea family strong and the power of sacrifice and pain to create new life.
Under the keen direction of John Doyle and Randy Wise, the Steve Tesichplay moves like an edgy pit bull, uncompromising in its complete disregardof solicitous and genial warmth; you either comply emotionally or get outof the way. It's the sort of in-you-face theater that is Iron Age's signaturerebric, routinely at home in such places as prisons and underground venues.In this utterly mesmerizing mounting Darkness aligns the best of all possibleworlds: it perfectly suits the cultural center's avowed alternative agenda,and the DeKalb Street stage is about as mainstream as this darkly rousingwedge of theater should comfortably hope to get. The performances are allextraordinary, but Ray Saraceni by far brings the most chilling sense ofpurpose to his portrayal of Lou, a wartime buddy of Joe's. It's almostdisturbing to watch an actor so snugly inhabit a psyche as lashingly fragileas Saraceni does. Speed of Darkness gathers you up and accelerateswith myriad possibilities of meaning--some tragic, some unspeakably sad,and some even remotely, defiantly hopeful--until the ride is cut shortwith a fadeout of achingly resonant complexity.
Gary Puleo:Times Herald
TheSpeed of Darkness by Steve Tesich, directed and designed by VillanovaUniversity graduates John Doyle and Randall Wise, explores the emotioncomplexities of a vet's assimilation into society within a powerful familystory and an environmental theme. William Rahill powerfully portrays theemotional complexities of a man containing his conscience. Ray Sarecini of Bryn Mawr plays another vet, Lou, whose jocularity masks deeper wounds.He follows a touring model of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial around thecountry, wishing his name were among the dead on the wall. Loretta Mestishengives a sincere, understated performance as Anne, and Radnor's Julia Sipleshines as Mary, whose pure heart inspires the best from Joe and Lou. JerryMcLenigan gives a humorous yet affecting performance as Mary's friend,Eddie, whose admiration for Joe only exacerbates his guilt. 
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