A New War' gives a fresh look at America

As of late, I've contracted a certain phobia of my television. Just a simple push of the button and its power is unleashed -- a barrage of images predominantly war related, flood my threshold for media intake. Have your experiences been similar? If so, something tells me you're looking for something other than class work to pull you away from your television screen. And I have just the thing. Nestled in our own Davis Square, Jimmy Tingle's Theater is showcasing, A New War, a political satire that will run through Apr. 13.

A New War opened initially on Oct. 19, 2002 at the Wellfleet Harbor Actor's theater in the wake of the events of Sept. 11, 2002. Writer and Director Gip Hoppe eerily forecasted media's reaction that followed and satirically highlighted it in a work that cleverly balances scathing criticism of domestic media and politics with humor.

Set in Atlanta, Georgia CNC news is a fictitious news station whose mission is to provide up to the minute updates on anything and everything to do with America's new war, titled "Operation Bend Over and Take Your Eagle the Hard Way." The production's cast of four, Caitlan Gibbon, Nathaniel McIntyre, Michael Dorval, and Stephen Russel, brilliantly manage a multitude of instantaneous costume and character changes to reveal America in all of its glory. From retired elitist generals to the eccentric personas of academic pundits, none are spared. Stage lights reveal a brightly colored set and two flamboyantly made-for-television personalities, Gibbon and McIntyre. These personas embody your typical newscaster -- shockingly upbeat, even while announcing the horrors of a war gone wrong.

Hoppe begins his discourse with an attack on American materialism. "Now is the time to shop" and to shop as never before, shouts one actor in a strikingly accurate caricature of President Bush played by Stephen Russell. The spirit of consumerism is the driving force that will push the country forward; we must strive "to be the best consumers on earth." Balloons fall from the skies and suddenly a maniacal man in a plaid suit (the kind used car sales men wear) storms the scene, interrupting the president's speech. He too wills the American populace to consume. In a slight that remains with me even now, Hoppe attacks American's newfound patriotism.

The newscasters bring us to the heartland of America, actor Michael Dorval's portrayal is of a man who has an American flag sewn on his forehead. This selfless act of patriotism is the handiwork of the man's wife who has, with needle and thread, sewn our nation's stars and stripes. The absurdity of this scene will have you on the verge of tears, whether these tears are the result of your laughing so hard, or from the tragic reality of Hoppe's sharp criticism of American nationalism.

Perhaps even more salient is the manner in which A New War playfully jokes about the revocation of civil liberties. In a scene that haunts my thoughts, it is revealed to us that the constitution has been suspended, in the moments that follow the two newscasters interview a southern man whose response speaks volumes, "What's the constitution?" He goes on to proclaim his ignorance on what he sums up to be "the legal jargon of rights and stuff.

Although A New War is just the kind of comic relief we need, it conveys a poignant message that strikes a chord with its audience. Hidden between quirky punch lines and the burlesque of its zany characters is the stark and foreboding reality of A New War. Are we, the lovers of gas guzzling cars, fatty foods, plastic surgery, and Starbucks, really at war with ourselves?