JLVietnam

As both are farce comedies, neither __The Vietnamization of New Jersey__ nor __The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild__ directly addresses painful subjects. __The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild__ comes closer to exposing the playwright's true feelings on the subjects of war and death, but interjections on both of the subjects are padded by either outrageous humor—Tulsa calls her stepfather using a stupidly large phone—or generally lighter material, such as Tulsa kissing Ed. There is in fact a scene in __Tulsa Lovechild__ which speaks in absolute terms about the consequences of war and what exactly death entails. The picture painted is not a pretty one; Woody maps out a virtual hell in which nothing ever really changes, providing constant torture. Another sore subject on which __Tulsa Lovechild__ touches is the reality that no family is perfect and some are so far beyond perfect that it is painful. Most of Tulsa's identity crisis stems from that fact that she had such a bizarre upbringing. The play makes an hilarious situation out of the pain, but the full power of the message can be felt in certain scenes, such as when Tulsa finally scatters her mother's ashes. Much of the __Vietnamization of New Jersey__ is subtle commentary on the state of the American family during and after the war in Vietnam. Ridiculous dialogue between the characters masks a bitter feeling about the cluelessness of the American public at that time. For instance, the scene in which Ozzie, Hazel, and Harry "discuss" Davey's coming home reveals that none of them listens to one another and in effect, no one ever finds out any useful information; they just nitpick one another to the point of hilarity. Another absurd detail that adds to the bittersweet hilarity of the play is that the family has "put Grandma down", as if she were a dog. This blatant disregard of social norms further illustrates the chaos of the times. There are several astounding references to actual events in the Vietnam War that are twisted into funny little quips, but the most flabbergasting reference is when Davey decides at the end to set fire to himself, as many monks did to protest the war. While both plays deal with some of the most thought-provoking issues of all time and those of a certain time--the Vietnam War--, one more directly takes these questions on while remaining sensitive, while the other satirizes viewpoints and demolishes preconceived notions of right and wrong. It is obvious that even though __Tulsa Lovechild__ is a farce comedy, it allows moments of serious contemplation to seep in. __The Vietnamization of New Jersey__ insensitively pokes fun at commonly-held assumptions of the times and crudely satirizes heavy subjects, like the Vietnam War.