[Muzeeka clips]

Muzeeka is a play about American soldiers of the Vietnam War who have television contracts. It serves as a satire of both the war and mainstream American society. Written in 1968, it is one of the most notable of playwright John Guare's early works. This video is the first segment of an early production of the play at the Kingston Mines Theater in Chicago. The footage is sparse and cuts in and out, sometimes with loud feedback noises.

2:25Copy video clip URL A man gesticulates as he speaks with a woman, at one point startling her. There is no audio, except for some low non-diegetic audio of a child saying that a father should help with raising his kids, and the father joking that he “did a lousy job raising you.” Based on the voice quality, this audio sounds like it might come from a TV show.

3:00Copy video clip URL Video and audio cuts out.

3:13Copy video clip URL Another angle of the man gesticulating and speaking to the woman. Very low audio again, perhaps from the same source as before.

3:55Copy video clip URL Video jumps, diegetic audio kicks in. The man is saying, “If I could’ve been born anybody, my pick of a Kennedy or Frank Sinatra or a Hem—” Video and audio cuts out again.

5:04Copy video clip URL Video returns. Appears to be some sort of play. The man pulls up his pants and buckles his belt. The woman is lying on a bunk bed. In the back of the frame, three men are posed awkwardly as if they are a chair or something. In another shot, men dance while someone talks about women having babies. Video cuts in and out. The staged performance continues although it is hard to make out what is happening.

6:03Copy video clip URL End of tape.