A Few Good Men

A

The huge success of the 1992 film starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson may have led people including me to forget that it was first a 1989 Broadway play that ran over a year. The film, with its star-studded cast that also included Kevin Bacon, Keifer Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., Christopher Guest, Alfred Molina and Noah Wyle, has become a cult classic with dialog that fans can recite from memory. For the few of you who may not know the plot, it’s about the legal maneuvers following the death of a marine at Guantanamo Bay. I was surprised when Lincoln Center Theater announced that they were reviving the play with a cast that, except for Bradley Whitford, was not filled with well-known names.  I did not envy them the task of recreating characters that are so vividly etched in people’s minds. The good news is that they have pulled it off. The present cast made these characters their own so I was not constantly comparing them to their predecessors in the film. As LTJG Daniel Kaffe, Tom Blyth, who was new to me, successfully makes the transition from an attorney who is just treading water and making plea deals until his term of duty is over to one who actually cares about his clients. As LCDR Joanne Galloway, Krysta Rodriguez is the internal affairs attorney who keeps goading him to do the right thing. As LtCol Nathan R. Jessep, Whitford has the unenviable job of following Jack Nicholson, but acquits himself admirably. Michael Oberholtzer is strong as Jack Ross, attorney for the prosecution. As bible-spouting 1stLt Jonathan Kendrick, Jessep’s aide, John Zdrojeski is appropriately creepy. As the two defendants, LtCpl Harold W. Dawson and PFC Louden Downey, Lavel Schley and Collin Kelly-Sordelet respectively are both fine. In smaller but important roles, Nick Blaemire as co-defense counsel Sam Weinberg, Michael Braugher as Capt Jeffrey Howard, Christophre Gurr as Dr. Stone, Thom Sesma as Maj Matthew Markinson, Billy Eugene Jones as Capt Isaac Whitaker and Stephanie Burry as Capt J.A. Randolph, the military judge, are all good. As PFC William T. Santiago, whose death precipitates the court martial, Daniel Velez does not have a lot to do, but he does it well. Tony awarded director Michael Arden keeps things moving smoothly and his inclusion of such rituals as presenting arms and folding a flag looked authentic. Dane Laffrey’s scenic design is a charcoal gray bare stage flanked by a huge American flag and a Marine Corps flag. On the right side of the stage there is a lit office in a tower whose significance does not become apparent until late in the play. There is a lot of moving furniture back and forth to create the specific setting for each scene. Before the second act begins, there is a large rectangular pit at stage center with steam rising from it, which I thought was a bit much. There’s not a lot to say about Alejo Vietti’s costumes except that they looked like authentic uniforms. I found the first few minutes confusing because so many characters are introduced in so short a time but soon became engrossed in the story. Aaron Sorkin’s script holds up very well. I had an unexpectedly enjoyable time. The only sour note is that I did not spot a single person under Medicare age in the audience. Lincoln Center Theater really has to try harder to draw a younger audience. Running time: two hours 40 minutes, including intermission.