Last Orders

General MacArthur said old soldiers never die, they just fade away. But where exactly do they reside while doing so? In Gérald Sibleyras' play La vent des Peupliers, translated into English by Tom Stoppard under the title Heroes, they await their ultimate disappearance at a lovely, if boring, home for retired veterans. Gustav, Henri and Philippe, veterans of World War I, while away the days on their terrace admiring the poplar trees on the horizon. And then Gustav, the strategist of the group, plots an expedition. It's either Indochina, or the hillside under those trees, this latter option proposed by Henri, the voice of calm in the trio. Philippe, who suffers blackouts due to shrapnel still in his head, is more concerned with the increasing frequency of his blackouts than either excursion. Act Inc. presents Heroes at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (June 26 through 28 and July 10 through 12) at the Fontbonne University Fine Arts Theater (6800 Wydown Boulevard; 314-725-9108 or www.actinc.biz). Tickets are $18 to $20.
Every other Friday-Sunday. Starts: June 26. Continues through July 12, 2009