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.
The Roundabout Theatre Company's flawless revival of A Soldier's Play is such good medicine for Broadway's January blues that it might be enough just to tick off its merits: a gripping murder mystery heightened by crackling dialog, a first-class ensemble of actors in symphonic harmony, staging that audaciously adds a pinch of sex appeal to heat up its social consciousness, and just enough music to give it a pulsing rhythm and beat that delivers us to its shocking conclusion in just under two hours. That's the good news, and there's only good news to report.
Grier returns in the first Broadway production of 'A Soldier's Play,' which opened Tuesday at Roundabout's American Airlines Theatre - this time as the fearsome, foul-mouthed Sgt. Vernon Waters, who commands his all-black troops as if their every move was a reflection on the future of the race. It's a searing performance from an actor best known for his work in comedies like 'In Living Color' and 'The Carmichael Show.' And he's well-matched by Blair Underwood as the Howard Law School graduate captain who's dispatched to investigate the murder - and who soon learns that this wasn't the work of the locals. And that even the white troops who are none too pleased by the presence of black soldiers - or to get beaten bad by them on the baseball field - may not be the culprits he's quick to suspect.
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 | Blair Underwood |
2020 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | David Alan Grier |
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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