This 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning thriller has rocketed back into the spotlight, thanks to this 2020 Tony Award®-winning Best Revival from Roundabout Theatre Company. “This is a play that deserves to be staged regularly all over America—though it’s hard to imagine that it will ever be done better than this. It keeps you guessing all the way to the final curtain” (The Wall Street Journal).
In 1944, on a Louisiana Army base, two shots ring out. A Black sergeant is murdered. And a series of interrogations triggers a gripping barrage of questions about sacrifice, service, and identity in America. Broadway’s Norm Lewis leads a powerhouse cast in the show Variety calls “a knock-your-socks-off-drama," directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon.
Norm Lewis’s Davenport is a steady hand as the audience’s guide through the hornet’s nest of Fort Neal; he’s shrewd and strategic, knowing when to be ingratiating and when to take a stand, to find out the truth of what’s happened. Connell excels as a man trying to navigate his way out of the racist maze he finds himself lost in. Each of the soldiers has his time to shine, especially Tarik Lowe as the outspoken, unafraid Private Melvin Peterson and Sheldon D. Brown as the amiable and deeply tragic Private C.J. Memphis. The banter between the soldiers - vital, vivacious young men — offers a key balance to the heavy subject matter and to the seriousness of the investigation. As the deeply problematic Sgt. Waters, Eugene Lee has the toughest job. His performance is riveting and uncomfortable in the best sense; even as he says some of the most hateful things heard on a stage around here in quite some time, Lee convinces us that his character believes he’s doing the right thing.
There is beauty in the power of an actor that can take the helm of a show like a ship. However, watching a cast lead just as strongly individually into the journey on stage is much more powerful. This is especially true when a show brings out the depth of perspectives a community may still be plagued to face decades beyond the conception of the piece. The magic is found in the portrayal of truths whilst showing how multifaceted perspectives can make a reality. The National Tour of A Soldier's Play at ASU Gammage is that piece, being led by not only the sensational Norm Lewis but also a fantastic cast, telling a story that although set in a time and place nearly 80 years ago, is also one that still mirrors realities our communities face today.
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 |
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