Review Roundup: A SOLDIER'S PLAY Launches National Tour

Roundabout Theatre Company has officially launched its national touring production of the 2020 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play.

Written by American playwright Charles Fuller, A Soldier's Play stars Norm Lewis as 'Captain Richard Davenport' and is directed by Tony Award winner and Roundabout Theatre Company's Senior Resident Director Kenny Leon. The North American tour of A Soldier's Play began at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, CT and officially opened its 20-week North American tour on December 15 at The Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre.

Find out what the critics thought of the show below!

Brian Slattery, New Haven Independent: 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.

Lucy Gellman, Arts Council Greater New Haven: No pair is more interesting to watch than Lewis and Lee, who cross paths only through Fuller’s bending of time. As Davenport, Lewis is suave, sharp, deeply thoughtful and even funny, both amused and angered by how deeply he is underestimated. Even as he remains process-oriented, it’s clear that he loves these boys, and sees in each of them some version of himself. In a sort of postscript describing their entrance into Nazi Europe, he finally lets his guard down, and the audience can see the exhaustion in his whole body.

David Friscic, BroadwayWorld.com: All the actors in this cast of twelve are excellent. Renowned actor Norm Lewis (as Captain Richard Davenport) portrays his role with an air of steely and calm authority. Lewis' commanding and discerning interpretation shows him as always thinking one step ahead of the other characters --as this character would rightfully do.

Norah Dick, MD Theatre Guide: Davenport’s stalwart and straightforward pursuit of answers ends in a satisfying, though profoundly bittersweet, conclusion—the mystery may resolve, but the war does not. In uncovering the generational trauma of racism that is at the story’s core, the show seems to suggest that the Captain’s ability to find some truth delivers, if not justice, then at least one step forward.

Adam Bell, The Charlotte Observer: For that to happen, “A Soldier’s Play” needs to work on many levels: as a murder mystery, a memory play, an exploration of Black identity and service, and as a portrait of multiple characters who are anything but one- dimensional. It succeeds on every level in both entertaining the audience and challenging their expectations and assumptions. Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article270943942.html#storylink=cpy

Vickie Evans, BroadwayWorld: An observation for me is the relevancy of the storyline racism is still as prevalent today as it was during the time period in which A Soldier's Play was set. Major kudos to director, Kenny Leon, the cast of A Soldier's Play, and of course the playwright, the late Charles Fuller (who passed away last year) for reminding this audience that we still have a long way to go to knock down the door of racism, whether it is systemic or individualized.

Kathia Woods, The Philadelphia Tribune: In addition to showcasing Lewis’ impressive abilities, the play also included a number of other outstanding performances. Sheldon Brown is one of those standouts. He portrays one of the central characters of the play, Pvt. C.J. Memphis, a harmless yet soft spoken, athletically gifted athlete. He’s at odds with Sgt. Vernon C. Waters due to his laid-back nature. Waters deems him unintelligent.

Joe Sarafolean, BroadwayWorld: Although Norm Lewis' name appears about the title of the production, he shares the stage with one of the strongest ensembles in recent memory. This is definitely a show that works best when everyone works together and there is no shortage of talent within the cast. Every member has there moment in the spotlight and rest assured, they make you feel every word that leads to a finale that is sure to leave a gut punch.

Rob Hubbard, TwinCities.com: While “Broadway” is often invoked in the promotional materials for shows putting down stakes at St. Paul’s Ordway Center and Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre, those productions don’t customarily come directly from New York’s Great White Way. More often, they’re built exclusively for the road. Such is not the case with Roundabout Theatre Company’s staging of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer-winning drama, “A Soldier’s Play.” It won the 2020 Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Play”

Russell Florence, Jr., Dayton.com: As the richly drawn characters converse and tussle, Fuller’s examination of toxic masculinity provides fascinating fodder for character development and interplay. Private C.J. Memphis, a laidback, soulful presence in the midst of more fiery personalities, is portrayed by Sheldon D. Brown, a Dayton native and 2010 Stivers School for the Arts graduate.

Rachel Weinberg, BroadwayWorld: A SOLDIER'S PLAY is a solid and well-structured play by Charles Fuller that explores the deep-seated roots of American racism. Centered on a Black regiment in 1944 Fort Neal, Louisiana, the play takes the form of a murder investigation when Captain Richard Davenport arrives on the scene following the death of Sergeant Vernon C. Waters. While Fuller's 1981 play is no doubt an indictment of the racist systems embedded in the American military-and the country as a whole-the piece now feels prescient, rather than revelatory. I imagine that it must have been quite radical when it debuted over forty years ago, but now it reads like a reinforcement of the truth. It's an effective one, and audiences who enjoy the procedural format will appreciate the play's series of interviews and flashbacks. Director Kenny Leon's production keeps it moving at a brisk pace, but neither material nor staging are groundbreaking.

Ted C. Fishman, New City Stage: When “A Soldier’s Play” was first staged in the 1980s, playwright Charles Fuller took heat for highlighting how racism-at-large infected relations among his Black characters. Some critics charged that the play perpetuated stereotypes that needed burying. Fuller argued that all communities suffer from a wide range of emotions and behaviors and that his characters also lived in a context where the dynamics of hate, self-hatred and resistance demanded exploration. Four decades later, with the help of a strong production and fantastic cast, Fuller (who died last year) seems on firmer ground than ever. This is a story about Black soldiers in a certain time and place, but the issues for Blacks and whites still manifest. The ousting of two African American legislators from the Tennessee Statehouse was unfolding the night I saw this show. Black people certainly are not the only ones who must mediate complicated power relations that can work against what others might see as common cause. Kindred stories can be told of prisoners, refugees, concentration camp populations and many others. Indeed, “A Soldier’s Play,” is adapted, in part, from Herman Melville’s unfinished classic “Billy Budd,” set in the class-riven British Navy of the eighteenth century. “A Soldier’s Play” has a depth all its own, however.

Nathaniel Jones, BroadwayWorld: 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.

Average Rating: 83.8%