Brenda Lee, played by Jenny Gonsoulin, sings a song at ‘The Drunken Pelican’ bar during a special early performance Tuesday night of IPAL’s USO Christmas show. 

Vietnam War veterans were honored Tuesday night at a special performance of the Iberia Performing Arts League’s “A USO Christmas Show — 20 Years Later.” 

The show officially opens Thursday. But at a pre-opening show held for family members of the cast and crew, IPAL set aside 100 tickets specifically for Vietnam War veterans. 

“I know how badly they were treated when they came home,” Donald “Doc” Voorhies, who directed the show, said. “I am of that generation.”  

After a brief intermission, two actors dressed in naval attire asked the veterans to rise. 

“You have our utmost gratitude for your service to our country,” one of them said.

Then the show’s musical director, Mike Parich, sang an emotional rendition of the song “The Wall,” about a scene at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, in Washington. Parich, picking and strumming an acoustic guitar, paused several times during the song, choked with emotion. After, Parich wiped away tears as a bugler played “Taps.”  

It is the third year in a row IPAL has performed a version of the USO Christmas show. In past years they have used the occasion to honor veterans of the Korean War and World War II. While those shows were set in the 1950s, this year’s show, fittingly enough, takes place in the 1970s. 

“It’s an update,” Voorhies said.

“It’s 20 years later, so they are remembering the 1950s, and we do those older pieces in a flashback mode. But the second half of the show is in the 1970s,” he said. 

“We kept the skits and the songs that were crowd favorites and rewrote some,” Assistant Director Kayleigh Lay said. “But we also wrote new skits, and we’ve got new talent.” 

The show featured appearances from Elvis Presley (Mitch Prudhomme), Bob Dylan (John Lagneaux) and Brenda Lee (Jenny Gonsoulin), among others. 

“At the end, we reprise our grand finale, which will be a special group that does a medley of the U.S. Armed Forces branch songs,” Parich said.

While it is presented with permission of the USO, proceeds do not benefit USO, nor does the performance constitute an endorsement of IPAL by the USO. 

“I can’t wait for the Thursday opening,” Voorhies said. 

The regular opening is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The show runs through the weekend until Sunday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances will be offered at 2 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday. 

“And there are still tickets available for all performances,” Voorhies said. 

Tickets, which are $20, can be purchased at Delaune’s Pharmacy, Paul’s Flower Shop or The Daily Iberian. They can be found online by searching for “IPAL” at eventbrite.com. 

For more information, visit ipaltheater.com, email ipal@cox.net or call 364-6114 and leave a return phone number.