RECOMMENDED
War veterans and their loved ones pay the cost of war long after truces are signed; the debt rises generations after conflicts are “finished.” Mary Scruggs’ new solo effort, “Missing Man,” is a funny, evocative attempt to come to terms with these losses. At a colleague’s urging, Scruggs (sort of) masters the motorcycle and subsequently becomes the oral historian of The Run for the Wall, an annual bike trip from California to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. While Scruggs fails as a hog rider, she succeeds in capturing the stories of her motley companions. The show drags at times, bogged down by the trip’s logistics; a reference to Scruggs’ depression seems out of place. But those missteps don’t diminish her rich sensory record of a day on the road, or a moving examination of vet memorabilia. “Missing Man” is a winning effort to remember and honor those we’ve lost. (Lisa Buscani)
At Live Bait Theater, 3914 N. Clark, (773)347-1375. This production is now closed.