San Diego Reader

Gays in the military - in World War II. David and Joseph Zellnik's musical begins today, in San Francisco. A young man finds a battered diary kept by a soldier named Stu. Amid torn and missing pages, the diary's heartfelt and sketchy. The young man wonders who Stu was and why he wrote some sections in code. In a flashback, the young man becomes Stu, and the musical moves from basic training, in WWII, to the Pacific front. Stu discovers his sexuality, falls for a solider named Mitch, and faces extreme consequences. Unlike Stars and Stripes, which was mostly propaganda and puff pieces, Yank! was a magazine written "by the servicemen, for the servicemen" and boasted a more realistic account of the war. The musical unfolds from Stars and Stripes optimism in Act One to unvarnished Yank! themes in Act Two. The book, especially the longish first act, could use a trim (it tries to cover so much ground that lulls result). But the tight, flashy, and moving Diversionary Theatre production is outstanding. Director Igor Goldin has staged the musical before, and it shows in the precision of scenes, in his choreography, and in the confidence of his ensemble cast. Accompanied by pianist Amy Dalton and percussionist Nathan Hubbard, they break into rousing WWII buddy numbers in Act One and more plaintive, torchlike songs in Act Two. The design's so simple - screens, like upright trampolines, move and change locales - it's eloquent. There are no weak links in the ensemble, but two performances stand way out. Tom Zohar shines as Stu; he sings and dances with pizzazz and combines vulnerability with a quietly fierce courage. Decked out in Jennifer Brawn Gitting's stunning costumes and Missy Bradstreet's voluminous wigs, Amy Biedel plays a dozen women, sings wondrously (especially the haunting "Blue Twilight"), and alone is worth twice the price of admission.

July 12 Through August 17