‘Beautifully written and acted play. I was moved to tears.’
‘Last week I saw a dead man… A man I saw die’
Following 4 and 5 star reviews in Edinburgh and at London’s Park Theatre, this enthralling and timely solo play his Stafford hard on October 29.
Michigan. Present day. Jimmy Vandenburg, ex-Ford factory car worker, works alone in his garage servicing the classic American cars of his youth. He is the man ‘born down in a dead man’s town’, the antihero of the Bruce Springsteen anthem, trying to survive in the economic wasteland of the rust belt.
A decorated Vietnam war veteran, Jimmy felt his service for his country was ignored after he came home. Trump’s call to ‘Make America Great Again’ appeals to Jimmy’s disillusionment.
But his new-found politics drives a wedge between him and his wife and daughter until a chance visit by the son of a fallen comrade makes him doubt his convictions and leads to a profound emotional reconciliation.
This multi-layered, often humorous and intensely moving solo play by award-winning actor-playwright Richard Vergette is a timely exploration of what drives populist politics and how they seduce the disillusioned and the disaffected.
In recent years populist parties have gained huge support in democracies across the world. Born In The USA bravely challenges assumptions about populist politics to show how they seduce the marginalised and the disaffected. Trump’s re-election has increased bitter political divisions, making the play even more topical and pertinent.
Edinburgh Fringe Review
‘Gripping piece of theatre that should be experienced by all generations…a compelling, heart-wrenching tale.’ ★★★★★ One4Review
Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe
Highly Recommended ★★★★
‘The Trumpian MAGA slogan is stripped to shreds in this play set in the Michigan rustbelt as a war veteran realises that such empty phrases hide the real truth.’
The List ★★★★
‘… engrossing one man show …a compelling play … Vergette’s acting was wonderful … genuinely moving. A brilliant performance … This play deserves an hour of your time. Recommended.’
North West End UK ★★★★
‘… compelling … a clever piece of storytelling which resists the temptation to lead the audience towards one-dimensional empathy or opprobrium …’
BroadwayBaby.com ★★★★
‘… an ending that is both devastating and uplifting. A highly recommended production that resonates today.’
EdinburghGuide.com ★★★★
‘… complex themes are handled with aplomb … if you’re looking for a nuanced look at American politics this Fringe, look no further.’
Entertainment-now.com ★★★★
| Wed 29 Oct | 7:30 pm | £15 | Book |
Writer Richard Vergette on the origins of Born In The USA
In recent years political debate has become increasingly polarised and intolerant. Defeated parties in elections have taken to the streets to riot in Brazil and America, and in New Zealand a universally lauded Prime Minister has resigned amid rumours of emotional stress caused by online hate and threats.
‘We’ve forgotten how to disagree’ complained Jennifer O’Connell in an opinion piece for the Irish Times in autumn 2021, reflecting on the violent schisms of the Trump era as well as homophobic protests against the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
Yet is this anger so new? The community that I lived in as a student in the 80s was torn apart by industrial strife and a devastating year-long strike from which it has never recovered. There was anger then alright!
In America, student protestors were slaughtered on their campus in the 1960s every bit as ruthlessly as George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020.
What is new, however, is the populist voice that claims to represent the disaffected and politically homeless. It is brazened, unfiltered, uncompromising and direct. And in America 70 million people voted for it in 2020.
Shortly before the General Election of 2019 – when those same devastated communities voted for the party they once hated in huge numbers – I watched the HBO documentary series The Vietnam War, produced by Ken Burns.
As I did so, I was struck at how the sense of abandonment and disillusionment with country, far from only being in the immediate aftermath of the war, was part of the present reality of the veterans. It was an anger that was just as palpable in both the Trump campaigns of 2016 and 2020 – and of course in the assault on the Capitol. Disillusionment will find its voice, however confused and exploited some think that voice might be.
When you feel hate and a political movement legitimises that hate then you latch on to it, agree with it and fight for it.
Richard Vergette
7:30 pm
£15
Dates, Times & Book
MET Studio
I was moved to tears
