Norm Lewis to lead A SOLDIER’S PLAY national tour

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 12:32pm

Norm Lewis is set to star as 'Captain Richard Davenport' in a new North American tour of Roundabout's 2020 production of A Soldier's Play!

Written by American playwright Charles Fuller, A Soldier's Play will be directed by Tony Award winner and Roundabout Theatre Company's Senior Resident Director Kenny Leon. The North American tour of A Soldier's Play will begin performances in December of 2022 with tour stops and additional casting to be announced soon. For more information, please visit www.roundabouttheatre.org/ASPtour.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Norm-Lewis-Will-Lead-North-American-Tour-of-Roundabouts-A-SOLDIERS-PLAY-20220317

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 1:06pm

This is terrific!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 1:14pm

If the production replicates the Blair Underwood Gratuitous Shirtless Scene, I'm all for it!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 1:17pm

Interesting! Surprised he’s playing Davenport and not Waters. The latter seems like a better fit for him, since it shows off more of his charisma. But then again, he was a very good Javert, and that’s a similar sort of temperament to Davenport (no-nonsense gravitas). I’m sure he’ll be great either way, but I wonder if it was a missed opportunity not putting him in the showier role.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 4:42pm

Fascinating.

I wonder if this will be a real tour, or if it will be basically a tour of regional theatre venues? I don't really think there's a substantial appetite for the title + Lewis.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 5:45pm

This seems random. Was it considered a hit?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 6:03pm

SouthernCakes said: "This seems random. Was it considered a hit?"

I expect they'll be heavily relying on its Tony-winning status to market it, as they never got to reap the benefits of their win (I say "win" not "wins" because I'm assuming David Alan Grier won't be joining the tour). 

As for its "hit" status. It was an on-profit production that closed early due to COVID, so not exactly a reliable measure. But I seem to recall it was mostly well-received by critics and audiences, and its grosses were...ok, as far as non-profit plays go. And FWIW, attendance was also quite strong. 

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-soldiers-play-523872#Statistics

Updated On: 3/17/22 at 06:03 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 6:05pm

SouthernCakes said: "This seems random. Was it considered a hit?"

It averaged 62% of its gross potential and averaged 95% capacity, but the finances of a nonprofit show aren't the same as a commercial one. The Airlines is smaller than most touring houses, and the Tony win won't carry it THAT far on the road.

Broadway News says the tour will only be 20 weeks, assuming mainly in big theater cities (a few weeks in LA/SF, a few weeks in Chicago, maybe DC, Boston, and Toronto, etc.) The HUMANS toured for about 7 months a few years back.

It's being produced by Todd Haimes' ex-wife, Tamar Climan (who used to be a GM and now appears to be venturing into producing) along with the Roundabout.

Updated On: 3/17/22 at 06:05 PM

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 7:43pm

Woot!

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 6/28/22 at 1:18pm

Bumping because the tour dates have been announced 

I'm a little irked because this was ALMOST really simpatico for me. This play's run in St. Paul ends on the 12th, and and the national tour of To Kill a Mockingbird opens on the 14th. I wasn't necessarily planning on seeing TKAM when it came to Minneapolis, but if I could have seen it and ASP, which I was definitely planning on driving up to see, on the same trip I would have.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/22 at 3:00pm

Wonder if they are hoping for any bigger names than Lewis to join the tour? I just can't see this being a hot ticket, even with an extremely limited tour playing 9 major markets.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/28/22 at 3:25pm

I'm a little baffled about this doing a tour... I saw it on Broadway and found it to be unremarkable in every way. Besides subscribers getting this in their packages, I don't see this selling a lot of individual tickets.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 6/28/22 at 9:34pm

First stop: New Haven!  Can’t wait to see Norm in this!!

What people need to realize is, even if it’s not earth shattering theater, for those who love theater and live outside of NYC (in my case only 90 minutes, but still), having theater accessed locally without the need to come into the city is a real treat. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/28/22 at 11:00pm

May have to pop down to Philly to see this. Maybe see it with Mr. Fuller's brother. We have been best friends since high school when the Fuller's moved to my town.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 11/2/22 at 8:08am

Eugene Lee, who originated the role of Corporal Bernard Cobb in the original 1981 Off-Broadway Production of A Soldier's Play, joins as as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters. Full tour cast announced.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 11/2/22 at 8:27am

Gonna try to see this in Charlotte. I've never seen Norm Lewis live on stage but have always been a fan of his. I look forward to it.

[mattmarkowski99]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 10:54pm

Does anyone have a discount code for this while it's in Philly?

[latitudex1]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 11:27pm

bwayphreak234 said: "I'm a little baffled about this doing a tour... I saw it on Broadway and found it to be unremarkable in every way. Besides subscribers getting this in their packages, I don't see this selling a lot of individual tickets."

The houses that accepted this work make sense.

These are cities that have a strong market for black led and black written works, and these houses need new Broadway work that hits their programming needs. (Cause it's going into touring houses.) For every city outside of LA, singling them out due to the sit down production, it'll be a wonderful option for their existing subscriber base.

Updated On: 1/23/23 at 11:27 PM

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 1/24/23 at 12:19am

No code but Philly has rush and lotto

 

Soldier's Play, winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize and the 2020 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, is "a knock-your-socks-off-drama," directed by two-time Tony winner Kenny Leon.

 

Enter the lottery for $30 tickets at rush.telecharge.com.

 

Entries start at 12 AM, two days before the performance, and winners are drawn the same day at 9 AM and 3 PM.

 



“BROADWAY SERIES: Rush tickets for Broadway Series performances are $35 and must be paid for in cash. Rush begins two hours prior to curtain time at the performance venue Box Office.”

Updated On: 1/24/23 at 12:19 AM

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 2/9/23 at 12:05am

Just got back from seeing this in St. Paul - it was such a tightly constructed play, and the actors were all wonderful.

Much like what was reported during the Broadway run, the audience was cheering when Captain Davenport came on stage at the beginning of Act 2, but rather than a shirtless Blair Underwood, it was Norm Lewis singing that got us going. He and Eugene Lee were just as charismatic as you'd expect, but I also want to give credit to the other actors, especially Tarik Lowe (who has never done a play before), Howard W. Overshown, Malik Esoj Child's, and Sheldon D. Brown.

There was a talkback with the cast afterwards, discussing their relationship to the material and talking about how regrettably relevant the themes of systemic hatred and racism were (something that hits home particularly hard in Minnesota). Just seeing these artists talk about their work was almost as engaging as the play itself.

Also for anyone who wants to see the show on Sunday instead of watching the Super Bowl, there's a discount code for $30 tickets available: SUNDAY30