By Eva Phillips
There’s a ferocious coding that comes with being a marine. It transcends the coding that comes with any military regimentation. A marine will be the first to tell you that. Semper Fi is the tipping point—Marines immerse in a regimentation that ritualistically prioritizes God, country, and, of course, one’s unit before one’s own self, to the point that the self is eradicated. You are, above all else, a Marine.
This programming can go awry, of course. A person can never really eradicate their entire self. Vagaries of their desires, fears, repulsions, and needs will inevitably surface. Especially the more threatened or questioned they feel. And the aftermath and consequences of this can upend personal and collective order beyond expectations.
In Public Theatre’s (PPT) opening production of their 45th Anniversary Season, Aaron Sorkin’s military drama, A Few Good Men, the vagaries of the self that come violently in conflict with the regimentation of the marines and the ethics of the military are center stage. Directed by PPT’s visionary Artistic Director, Marya Sea Kaminski, A Few Good Men opens with a small battalion of men in training uniforms conducting maneuvers and training exercises, filling the gorgeously sparse and well-designed stage (exquisitely arranged by Scenic Designer Ryan Howell). Meticulously coordinated, breathlessly synchronized, and hauntingly exact, the movements of the men rivet the audience and serve to underscore the startling moments that follow. A confession, barked matter-of-factly by Lance CPL Harold W. Dawson (Ryan Patrick Kearney) and PFC Louden Downey (Michael Patrick Trimm), hints at what lies beneath the ruthlessly tidy and orderly exterior: in the dead of night at the notorious Guantanamo Bay Marine base, Downey and Dawson killed PFC William T. Santiago (Ryan Bergman) in seemingly a hazing-gone-horrifically-haywire scenario.
How does such a seemingly personal act—that is horrifically reckless at best, and brutally sinister at worst—against one of their own reconcile with the strict solidarity of the men we see in the stark, opening moments? Where, and how, does this violence figure in with the rigid ethos and standards of the Marines?
(L to R) Ryan Patrick Kearney as Lance Cpl. Dawson, and Michael Patrick Trimm as PFC Downey
We transition swiftly to Washington D.C., where Internal Affairs officer Lt. Commander Joanne Galloway (Alison Weisgall) relentlessly seeks to represent Downey and Dawson, only to find herself forced to take a passenger seat to egotistical, but far less able, litigator, Lt. J.G. Daniel Kaffee (Doug Harris). Galloway not only must contend with Kaffee, but she is also up against the skepticism and resentment of most of his peers, like supervisor Captain Isaac Whitaker (always-engaging Monteze Freeland), fellow officer Cpl. Jeffrey Owen Howard (Malic Williams), Commander Stone (a wonderful Ken Bolden), and Caffee’s righthand man, Lt. J.G. Sam Weinberg (an absolutely delightful Alex Noble), and prosecuting officer Lt. Jack Ross (Kyle Haden) who loathe both the intrusion of an Internal Affairs agent (and a woman, no less), and loathe even more the idea of butting heads or interfering at all with the Marines of Guantanamo.
Burke Moses as Lt. Col. Nathan Jessup
Kaminski’s adaptation oscillates seamlessly between locations and time–aided by the excellent craftmanship of Lighting Designer Sherrice Mojgani, Projection Designer Joe Spinogatti, and Sound Designer Erin Bednarz–as the case against Downey and Dawson unfolds, and Galloway and Caffee are confronted with the obstreperous beast that is the regime of Lt. Col. Nathan Jessup (a fierce and formidable Burke Moses), his second-in-command Captain Markinson (Cotter Smith), and Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick (Jason McCune), the problematic truths, devastating expectations, and tenuous balance between self and duty become impossible to ignore.
There is a reason Sorkin’s writing is best matched with performers like Allison Janey, Jeff Bridges, Dule Hill, and Stockard Channing. His scripts are punchy yet prosaic, channeling hyper-referential snark as readily as he evokes gutting heartache and tenderness. The collection of fine performers (there are a lot of iterative puns on a Few Good Men I’m fighting here for the sake of my own integrity) Kaminiski directs in her powerhouse production are more than capable in bringing one of Sorkin’s more fraught pieces to life.
Alison Weisgall and Doug Harris, both making their PPT debuts, lead a thoroughly stellar cast as LT Commander Joanne Galloway and JAG Litigator Daniel A. Kaffee. Overzealous and righteously determined despite her iffy track record in the courtroom, Weisgall’s Galloway is unflappable yet deeply human. Weisgall’s studied performance is as grounding as it is engaging, and her stalwart showing is one of the more memorable aspects A Few Good Men’s plenitude of highlights. As Kaffee, the hotshot, jaded JAG litigator with a fraught family legacy, Harris is the infectious, effortless blend of sickeningly smug, wildly sarcastic, yet
(L to R) Doug Harris as Kaffee, Alison Weisgall as Galloway, Malic Williams as Cpl. Howard
somehow always brilliantly charming. Harris is at his best when he exposes the fissures in Kaffee’s cocksure foundation, and his ability to imbue heart into an easily caricatured character is tremendously impactful.
Taking on the roles of the men entangled in the murder trial imbroglio is no enviable task. Dawson and Downey are, in many complicated ways, the scapegoats of the play—not only in how they metaphorically “fall on a grenade,” but also in the sense that their persecution (and prosecution) is a fulcrum of dialogue and change for every other character involved. As Dawson, Ryan Patrick Kearney beautifully captures the earnest devotion and unintentional self-sublimation of a man whose life is the marines. His passionate rendering of Dawson is expertly nuanced, too, in how he presents the breakdown between self-erasure of being a marine, and the needs of the inner-self. Similarly, Michael Patrick Trimm is heartbreakingly sympathetic as the dedicated and naïve Downey, and his gifted, subtle performance serves as an emotional anchor throughout the play. Both Trimm and Kearney transform characters that could be easily usurped by the story in which they exist.
As Captain Markinson, Cotter Smith continues his tradition of expertly playing men crystallized in troubled reticence, burdened by their understanding of the moral decay of the status quo. Smith is a delight to watch on stage, and both he and Jason McCune, who plays the dogmatically militaristic Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick, deftly embody men who represent the extremes of servitude and loyalty within the infrastructure of the marines.
(L to R) Cotter Smith as Captain Markinson, Burke Moses as Lt. Col. Nathan Jessup, and Jason McCune as Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick
Special and enthusiastic recognition must be given, of course, to the tremendous insights and unparalleled work of veteran Marine Billy Jenkins, who pulls triple-duty serving as the production’s military consultant, fight captain, and member of the onstage Marine Ensemble. Jenkins extraordinarily translates his 25 years of service and knowledge to PPT’s adaptation in a such a way that conveys reverence and authenticity. Not only is his work remarkable in the astonishing precision with which the Marine Ensemble–comprised of the steadfast and talented Jaron McLain, Tom Kolos (also playing various other roles), Brandon Saturley, in addition to their fellow lead actors–operates throughout, but Jenkins’ work is reflected in the smart sensitivity that carries the show and the subject matter.
Kaminski’s prowess as a director with an unimpeachable vision and stellar thoroughness is the preeminent triumph of PPT’s A Few Good Men. Her attention to detail is incomparable, her pacing and stylistic decisions are consistently impeccable, and her ability to evoke heart and compassion from the story gives the play an entire new life. Her talents, the outstanding work from a phenomenal creative team and technical crew, and the all-around sensational, passionate cast, make for a tantalizing, wildly smart adaptation of A Few Good Men that is worthy of every bit of resounding praise it receives.
A Few Good Men runs through Oct. 13th at PPT’s O’Reilly Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit PPT’s homepage.
Photography Credit: Michael Henninger
Categories: Archived Reviews