The Wall That Heals will return to Cayuga County this weekend, and with it will come a one-man performance by a Vietnam combat journalist and photographer at Cayuga Community College.
Stu Richel will perform "Vietnam ... Through My Lens" at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, in Irene A. Bisgrove Theatre at the college, 197 Franklin St., Auburn.Â
Directed by Linda S. Nelson, and featuring video montages by Michael Lee Stever, Richel's show is "one soldier's intimately personal and unique tale about friendships, trust and tenacity that travels from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the 'jungle' of Manhattan, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 704 said in a news release.
The montages feature Richel's photos from his service in Vietnam. He served in the Army from 1968 to 1970, and was a combat correspondent with the 1st Infantry Division in 1969.
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Critic David Lally said of the show, "Stu can make the ordinary seem extraordinary and the everyday seem heroic. His words and pictures bring to life a palpable sense of what the country’s pulse was at the time of Vietnam." Critic Karen D'Onofrio called it "an absolutely engaging, realistic yet primarily lighthearted view of his participation in a war that tore not only Vietnam, but this country, to shreds."
Richel has written and performed three other solo shows, and had roles in 17 feature films, 20 short films and dozens of off-Broadway and other theatrical productions in New York City.
Admission to the performances is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To make a reservation, visit .
The Cayuga County Vietnam veterans chapter is sponsoring Richel's show along with the New York State Council on the Arts and Dr. Linda Townsend, executive co-chair of The Wall That Heals' visit to Auburn. A three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the wall will come to Casey Park in Auburn Thursday, Sept. 14, through Sunday, Sept. 17. It is free and open to the public.
The wall was last in Cayuga County in 2017, when it came to Dana L. West Junior-Senior High School in Port Byron. More than 8,000 visitors saw the monument over the course of four days.
For more information, visit or .
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