GHOSTS OF WAR, SHADOWS OF BROTHERHOOD

Looking back fifty years, who doesn’t wish they’d acted differently?

Decisions made in a moment can have eternal consequences.

Ever help your brother commit a murder?

Was it self-defense?

What would the police think?

Is violence ever justified?

Tom Jenkins and Alan McRae

In Parallel Process, written and directed by David Kohner Zuckerman, two estranged brothers are still haunted by the ghosts of Vietnam, fifty years after serving together. One has built a life as a prominent psychologist, the other was a District Attorney — men shaped by reason and law, yet undone by memory. Despite their best efforts, their shared secret, buried for decades, continues to bind them in ways neither can escape.

Vincent Gumbs, Alan McRae, and Tom Jenkins

On the surface, Parallel Process is about two Vietnam War veterans — brothers grappling with the weight of their past. But most of us, if we’re honest, carry old wounds that still demand attention.

Time doesn’t heal all wounds. Unattended wounds don’t heal at all — they fester. History has shown this again and again, whether fifty or five thousand years ago. Betrayals, lies, abandonment, words said or left unsaid — these unhealed wounds often lie at the heart of our deepest, most unresolved grief.

Alan McRae and Tanja Gartner

This isn’t a play about the Vietnam War. It’s about how individuals rediscover their mutual humanity despite their painful history. Parallel Process explores the complexities of sibling rivalry, strained loyalties, and the ghosts of past decisions. The play’s brilliant exploration of the brothers’ conflicting perspectives, inter-woven with other complications, makes this a must-see theatrical event.

“Parallel Process” is a psychological term describing when a therapist recognizes that the problem a client is describing mirrors issues in the therapist’s own life. As each character wrestles with the past, the play invites the audience to do the same — to engage in their own parallel process.

Peter Zizzo and Alan McRae

Before the pandemic, I reviewed dozens of plays for the Tolucan Times. Theatrical producers paid for me to help promote their shows. Sometimes it was difficult to find a positive angle on a production. Occasionally it was impossible.

At Stage and Cinema, writers are free to express their opinions. Unsolicited and unpaid, I sent this review of Parallel Process to the editor because the experience is so damn good. It is one play I can’t praise too highly. Anyone curious about human nature owes it to themselves to see it. For clarity and depth, this is a must-see play. Produced by Robert Reed Altman — son of M*A*S*H director Robert Altman — the writing, casting, direction and production are all top notch.

Tom Jenkins and Alan McRae, portraying the conflicted brothers, backed by an excellent supporting cast, bring this nuanced drama vividly to life.

photos by Lua Rasga

Parallel Process
a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd
80 minutes, no intermission
ends on November 2, 2025
Fri & Sat at 8; Sun at 2
for tickets ($36 + $3 fee), call 310.477.2055 or visit Odyssey or Parallel Process