In 1944, a black Sergeant is murdered on a Louisiana Army base, and one tenacious investigator must race against his white leadership to unravel the crime before they unravel him. A hair-raising drama that painfully still reverberates today, the mystery of Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece has finally arrived on Broadway for the first time, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon.
Some scenes depicting Davenport's fact-finding and investigation can be dry and clunky. But under Leon's sharp and ensemble-oriented direction, the play's cultural and political dimensions take on extended emphasis, bringing the gap between World War II-era America and the present day in its exploration of the effects of racism and the need to confront uncomfortable facts and arrive at the truth.
When a soldier in the United States Army, just before the final surge of World War II, is found shot to death in the Louisiana town where he's stationed, the immediate assumption is that one or more of the locals committed the murder. That's because the soldier in question is African-American, a member of the army's segregated unit, and the thought of black men defending our country was regarded as an outrage by many whites, particularly in the deep south.
| 1981 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2005 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2020 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company's Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2022 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | David Alan Grier |
| 2020 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Fight Choreography | Thomas Schall |
| 2020 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | A Soldier's Play |
| 2020 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | David Alan Grier |
| 2020 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Blair Underwood |
| 2020 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | A Soldier’s Play |
| 2020 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Kenny Leon |
| 2020 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | David Alan Grier |
| 2020 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | A Soldier's Play |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Dede Ayite |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Kenny Leon |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Allen Lee Hughes |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | David Alan Grier |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Blair Underwood |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Charles Fuller |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Derek McLane |
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