A World War II love story...with a twist.  Yank! tells the story of Stu, an 18-year-old draftee who's never felt "that way" about women, and his best buddy Mitch.  Stu ends up becoming a photographer for Yank, the popular weekly magazine published during the war "for the GIs, by the GIs".  There's the other members of their squad -- the Professor, the glasses-wearing smart guy from Bahston; Tennessee, the redneck hick; Rotelli, the paisan with the thick accent; and Czechowski, the good-natured Brooklyn "polack".  There's also Artie, the Yank correspondent who takes Stu under his gay wing and teaches him how to get by in This Man's Army - and Navy, and Marine Corps - without getting caught for being a pervert; MacArthur's secretary, a tough lesbian looking to protect "her boys"; and the men of the steno pool - Scarlett, Melanie, and India - who are the queens of Camp Bliss.

How was it?  First off, the music is wonderful; bright and original, with beautiful harmonies and lyrics that can deliver a laugh or a sigh without calling attention to themselves.  The book takes a long time to get itself going; this could be because there's so much ground to cover in the show's first act, but there are some spots in the book that could stand some changing.  The show's framing device - a young man in San Francisco finds Stu's war journal in a second-hand store and starts reading to us from it (both the young man and Stu are played by the same actor) - makes sense, except that while we see the journal from time to time (and I won't be spoiling anything by saying that a recurring line is "Destroy that thing") we never see Stu writing in it.  We only see Stu, in a spotlight, looking out at the audience as he recites various entries.  Also, the show starts and ends with a beautiful ballad, "Remembering You", sung by Mitch.  The problem?  When it's sung at the start, we don't know who Mitch is; he's just a good-looking guy in a uniform.  We don't know why he would be singing the song, or what the song means to any of the characters.  In short, there's no reason for that song in that place.  Musically, the show gets going with the second song, the title tune, which gets us through the first weeks of basic training, and points out how uncomfortable the shy, scared Stu is with the enforced comradery of Army life - and lets us  glimpse his burgeoning sense of self.

The ensemble is a solid group, especially the squad members - who look like the "one of every kind" squads you'd see in every WWII war movie.  Bobby Steggert (Stu) and Jeffry Denman (Artie; also the show's choreographer) capture the essences of their characters - the shy boy unsure of his sexuality, and the experienced man who shows him the ropes - and show to us the kind of courage it took to be true to what you were.  In so doing, they both show a form of courage no less powerful than the kind needed to risk one's life on the front lines.  Denman is especially good in showing that Artie's no angel, and may be a tad too campy, but is probably the best mentor Stu will ever have.  Special credit goes to Nancy Anderson, who plays all the female roles in the show - mothers, girl friends, band singers, servicewomen - and gives each character her own personality.

The show's creators, Joseph and David Zellnik - two gay brothers - have stated in interviews that Yank! is both an homage to the patriotic entertainments of the WWII period and a tribute to the thousands of gay men and lesbians who served with honor during that campaign - and who managed to find each other in spite of impossible odds.  In both of these, I think they succeed.  But I have to say, while I liked Yank! a lot, I didn't love it - and I really wanted to love it.

My recommendations:  First, when they make the cast album (and I'm sure they will, the score is that good), buy it.  If you get the chance to see the show - especially if you can get tickets at a discount - by all means see it.  It may have its imperfections, but it's entertaining, touching, and relates to today's military without beating you over the head with its message.  You'll have a good time at Yank!


Yank! is playing until March 21st at the Theatre at St. Peter's Church, located in the Citicorp Center, Lexington Avenue at 54th Street.  Subway:  E, V, or 6 train to the 53rd Street/Lexington Avenue station (the E connects to Penn Station).  For more information, follow this link to the York Theatre Company.