(Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center. Photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

by Tim Leininger

NEW YORK — Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men has been a landmark piece of theater since it originally opened on Broadway in 1989. A taut, high octane political/legal thriller, it ran for over a year before being adapted into a hit film, which premiered in 1992, making Sorkin a household name. For the first time in nearly 37 years, A Few Good Men has returned to the Broadway stage, running through Jan. 10 at Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont at 150 W. 65^th St. Directed by Michael Arden, this production of A Few Good Men suffers from a stage that is way too big for the intimacy of a courtroom drama, and a cast that is hit and miss.

Inspired by real events, the play is set in various locations in Washington, D.C. and the United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in 1989, the play follows a trio of Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers, who are defense attorneys for U.S. Marines Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson (Lavel Schley) and Private First Class Louden Downey (Collin Kelley-Sordelet), who are accused of killing Private First Class William T. Santiago (Daniel Velez). The defense is led by Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Daniel Kaffee (Tom Blyth), an arrogant young attorney, who has no real interest in his military service, only serving so the military can pay for his time in law school. He is partnered with the ambitious Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway (Krysta Rodriguez) and his friend Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Sam Weinberg (Nick Blaemire). Their investigation leads them Guantanamo Bay where they meet Lieutenant Colonel Nathan R. Jessep (Bradley Whitford) and discover the culture of absolute obedience that exists under his command.

(Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center. Photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

Though the play (and film) is renowned for its final “You can’t handle the truth!” court room scene, Sorkin’s story offers more than courtroom hysterics. The play addresses the fine line between integrity and allegiance, and how the two can be blurred by the well-intended devotion toward military service, a job, when executed properly, is the pinnacle of both, but when corruption plays its part can result in dire consequence. Kaffee, who has no military bearing at all, winds up on a journey of self-discovery as his own quality of service is called into question by his superiors and his clients.

This new production has some strengths. Lavel Schley gives LCpl Dawson sensitivity. Degrees of self-reflection for the consequences of his actions are composed behind his initially stoic façade. Nick Blaemire balances LTJG Weinberg’s comical wit with his moralizing of the case, calling out the truth of what Dawson and Downey have done regardless of their legal innocence or guilt. He never overplays his character, keeping it simple and direct, especially with the more eccentric personalities that are contained in the script.

(Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center. Photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

Unfortunately, it’s these more eccentric roles that fall short. Though Kaffee is supposed to be a loose cannon type, the direction and Blyth’s performance overextends his cockiness, resulting in a mostly flat and undeveloped performance. Rodriguez, on the other hand, plays LCDR Galloway overly animated, missing the dominant personality that the text implies. Rodriguez isn’t the only actor who plays their character over the top. When 1^st Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick addresses his troops about how PFC Santiago is to be handled, John Zdrojeski plays it like a bad Pete Hegseth speech. It appears that this was Arden’s intent, drawing parallels between LtCol Jessep and his staff and the absolute loyalty demanded by President Trump and his administration. Even Whitford, an actor I have enjoyed watching for decades, his performance as Jessep seems to evoke the presence of a man whose authority is entirely performative and lacking substance, lacking the confidence and authority that a LtCol would have. If the intent is to draw comparisons between the regime at Guantanamo and the Trump administration, it is successful, but in doing so, it diminishes the decorum that Jessep and his men would have as U.S. Marines, regardless of their motivations.

(Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center. Photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

The Vivian Beaumont is a massive stage and feels way too big for this play. The original production was staged at the Music Box Theatre, a much more intimate space. The action, particularly interview scenes and the courtroom feel swallowed up by the sheer enormity of the space.

As a Navy veteran myself, Alejo Vetti’s costume design is the closest I’ve seen to the genuine article in 30 years of attending professional theater, even the gig lines were on point. If I were to do an inspection, sure I’d find some errors, but for a theatrical production, it was excellent work.

(Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center. Photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

A Few Good Men remains a seminal piece of courtroom theater, to be remembered next to such works as 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution, and To Kill a Mockingbird. If there were attempts to draw immediate political comparisons, it was successful in making them, but at the detriment to the authenticity of the play and its characters. The play doesn’t even need the overt efforts to draw those comparisons. They’re inherently there in the text, and attentive audiences would have made the connection without weakening the play’s antagonists. Still, with these faults in this production, the brilliance in Sorkin’s text remains and strong performances by Schley and Blaemire, makes the play worth the visit.

TICKETS: https://www.lct.org/shows/a-few-good-men/

PRODUCTION

Written by Aaron Sorkin; Directed by Michael Arden; Scenic Design: Dane Jaffrey; Costume Design: Alejo Vetti; Lighting Design: Japhy Weideman; Sound Design: Joshua D. Reid; Hair & Wig Design: Cookie Jordan; Movement Director: Ricky Ubeda; Fight Direction: Rick Sordelet & Christian Kelly-Sordelet; Original Music: Gabriel Mann; Voice Coach: Kate Wilson; Advertising: AKA; Casting: Bernard Telsey, CSA, Karyn Casl, CSA; Production Stage Manager: Charles Means; Public Relations: DKC/O&M; Company Manager: Matthew Markoff; Production Management: Paul Smithyman & Kevin Orzechowski; Director of Marketing: Vanessa Javier; Associate Producer: Doug Middlebrook; General Management: Showtown Theatricals & James R. Geoghegan

CAST

Lavel Schley as LCpl Harold W. Dawson

Collin Kelley-Sordelet as PFC Louden Downey

Nick Blaemire as LTJG Sam Weinberg

Tom Blyth as LTJG Daniel Kaffee

Krysta Rodriguez as LCDR Joanne Galloway

Billy Eugene Jones as CAPT Isaac Whitaker

Thom Sesma as Maj Matthew Markinson

Daniel Velez as PFC William T. Santiago

Bradley Whitford as LtCol Nathan R. Jessep

John Zdrojeski as 1stLt Jonathan Kendrick

Miles Fowler as Capt Jack Ross

Michael Braugher as Cpl Jeffrey Howard

Stephanie Berry as CAPT J.A. Randolph, Military Judge

Christopher Curr as CDR Walter Stone, Navy Physician

Shunté Lofton as Orderly

Marine/Military Personnel: Brendan Behm, Alex Ekker, Drew Elhamalawy, Quentin Nguyen-Duy, Austin Phillips, Stephen Michael Spencer