THE HANGOVER REPORT – A muscular staging of A SOLDIER’S PLAY starring David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood makes for gripping, relevant entertainment

David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood, and Billy Eugene Jones in Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of "A Soldier's Play" by Charles Fuller at the American Airlines Theatre. Photo by Joan Marcus.

David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood, and Billy Eugene Jones in Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “A Soldier’s Play” by Charles Fuller at the American Airlines Theatre. Photo by Joan Marcus.

I recently had the opportunity to catch A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller at the American Airlines Theatre, courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company. Mr. Fuller’s play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama way back in 1982 and is just now making its Broadway debut. Set in a suffocating, predominantly black army base in Louisiana during World War II, the work is essentially a “whodunit” murder mystery surrounding the slaying of a black sergeant.

Only after a pedestrian first quarter of an hour does Mr. Fuller’s play begin to gain momentum. The second act is especially gripping as the disparate threads start coming together and themes fully emerge. Although the work is structured like a traditional murder mystery (e.g., the lineup of suspects, the requisite plot twists, etc.), A Soldier’s Play is most notable for operating as a microcosm for the psyche of the Black American Man. Despite being set during the 1940s, the play unfortunately remains relevant in its powerful portrayal of the challenges (still) facing black men in America – and therefore more than justifies its high profile mounting on the Great White Way.

As headlined by David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood, there’s ample star power in the Kenny Leon-directed production, and they don’t disappoint. Undaunted, Mr. Grier sinuously plays the challenging role of the murdered sergeant in a fractured series of provocative flashbacks. As the black investigator who tries to crack the case, Mr. Underwood is smoothly charismatic and commanding. The rest of the attractive ensemble cast play their roles beautifully in a collection of distinct, nuanced performances. Mr. Leon’s muscular, tightly-directed production navigates through the play’s labyrinthine twist and turns with workmanlike precision.

RECOMMENDED

 

A SOLDIER’S PLAY
Broadway, Play
Roundabout Theatre Company / American Airlines Theatre
1 hour, 50 minutes (with one intermission)
Through March 15

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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