By Carol Davis
LA JOLLA, California—The West Coast premiere of playwright J.T. Rogers’ Blood and Gifts is now in a solid but wordy production at the La Jolla Playhouse. Not that the words aren’t important, it’s just that the first act of this two-hour plus thriller (as it is marketed) takes too long to get to the point. The story is almost ancient history and those who follow world affairs are on top of it.
The time frame of Rogers’ play is from 1981 to 1991 and here we are in 2012 watching a ‘spy thriller’ or mystery being played out between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan all over again. The only mystifying question I have is why is the U.S. still there now? To date no one has come up with a good answer or have they?
Back then it seemed prudent to step in and intervene on the side of Afghanistan against a Russian takeover. According to CIA operative Jim Warnock (portrayed by Kelly AuCoin) we had a good plan and he was the best man to carry it out, but covertly. He needed to make up for his bungling with the Shah of Iran.
Stepping in harm’s way is our MO since Vietnam when we thought we could do a better job than the French in fighting off the Viet Cong. Years later, forgetful of this lesson, we thought we could get rid of the Russians (and we did) and let the Afghans rule themselves.
Rogers introduces us to a group of characters whose names have been ‘changed to protect the innocent’ all the while creating what is probably the most realistic set of circumstances that might explain to us why we are there and why we thought we might have had a chance to give the Afghans enough arms and intelligence to overthrow the Russians.
As the play opens we are dropped down in Islamabad, Pakistan, where the deals begin. There Jim is greeted by his Russian counterpart Dmitri Gromov (an excellent Triney Sandoval) and his British counterpart Simon Craig (Daniel Pearce accurately cynical) as the story takes us from one secret activity to another. The characters are right out of central casting under director Lucie Tiberghien, whose careful eye to detail makes this spy thriller come to life.
The intrigue begins with the undercover meeting between Warnock and Col. Afridi (Amir Arison) the corrupt Pakistani intelligence officer who was to be his point/middleman as he tries to forge an alliance with their intelligence sources.
Jim’s real goal, however is to make covert trips into Afghanistan to meet with Abdullah Khan (Demosthenes Chrysan) with whom he forms a sort of father-son relationship ignoring Afridi’ attempts to hook him up with another warlord, the Islamist zealot Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Everyone wants to get into the act including Khan’s young and cocky first lieutenant, Saeed (Babak Tafti) who promises to deliver more than Khan can in exchange for LP records of Olivia Newton-John and Duran Duran.
Going with his own gut instinct Jim offers Khan 100,000 rifles (not traceable to the US) to help that government even though, technically, this was not our battle. But we know this is how it all begins. First we advise then prop up in the form of arms and cash and then training troops. By the middle of the second act Jim and Khan are back in the States making a pitch to Congress for more arms and support when they see that they are making headway against the Russians. And they get them!
Rogers’ Blood and Gifts is a bloody reminder of the horrors and heartache of war. He gives us a realistic and in-depth account, almost by the numbers, of the miscalculations and unrealistic ideals that many of us here in the States have in trying to make other countries over in our image. He does it by creating three dimensional characters throughout backed up by what look to be the facts.
At the head of this all-star cast is Kelly AuCoin’s surefooted American Jim Warnock who carefully, confidently and convincingly walks us through his daily encounters with the Pakistanis and Afghanis working both sides of the divide against Russia while trying to keep his own marriage back in the States intact. AuCoin never leaves the stage for more than a moment yet manages to be all things to all people. He does a remarkable job.
Triney Sandoval’s Dmitri is as blustery as one would expect this Russian agent to be but with a certain charm and assuredness that keeps one hanging on his every word. The same can be said about Chrysan’s Khan. Looking more like Hamid Karzai than anyone else, especially in Charlotte Devaux accurate-to-the-color dress, he exudes the same explosive cunning but measured personality one has come to expect of that culture and he does it well.
Amir Arison’s Colonel Afridi, on the other hand is a cold, stiff-upper-lip officer who never lets his guard down and one would be foolhardy to turn a back on him. The rest of the large supporting cast is strong and reaches deep making this production worthy of a trip to La Jolla.
Kris Stone’s concrete-walled background set on what looks like a checkerboard floor revealing the terrain of Afghanistan along with Matthew Richards’ fine lighting and Shahrokh Yadegari’s original music hinting at sounds of the region add up beautifully to make a powerful case for Blood and Gifts.
For many, Blood and Gifts will be an eye opener.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through July 8th
Organization: La Jolla Playhouse
Phone: 858-550-1010
Production Type: Spy/ Thriller
Where: 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, UCSD Campus
Ticket Prices: From $26.00
Web: lajollaplayhouse.org
Venue: Mandell Weiss Forum
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com