A Soldier's Play

At the American Airlines Theatre, 2020

This is based on a true story.** The play is a limited-engagement 2 month run with Roundabout Theatre Company. Frankly, it deserves a longer run than that. But they didn’t ask me for my opinion on the matter.

This show is set in Louisiana during WWII & follows an all black unit of 5 soldiers as they come face to face with a murder investigation of their commanding officer. It features 7 black actors & 3 white actors—all male, of course.

The 5 soldiers & their commanding officer (pre-death) all struggle with racial injustice & their own identities as black citizens & as black soldiers. The added struggle of being set in the south adds to their worries, & tensions run high as they deal with the questions of whether it was a racially heated crime.

Two army captains—one white, one black, fight & contest for the role of lead investigator throughout this journey. The white captain, of course, keeps trying to shut down the investigation because he believes no one will be charged or taken seriously if the claim is made by the black army captain. The black army captain does everything in his power to give fair justice in spite of these power struggles.

One by one, every actor begins to get pulled into various different directions as more & more of the past is revealed (lots of flashbacks in this play). Here, every actor has a strong story, & we are taken on their journey to see how they’ve evolved, & what they’ve become by the end.

The investigation finally is solved, right as the army unit is told it can finally be sent overseas to fight in WWII. This is what they’ve always wanted from the beginning of the play. But as history shows, (this is a true story), the entire unit was killed, fighting overseas. Still, in the final moments of the show, the actors hint at what a strong legacy will follow, & that is exemplified at the end, which is a modern day realizing of black power & equality.

This is one hell of an intimate & powerful story. If you don’t feel uncomfortable during this, you need to re-evaluate your privilege & place in the world. It was masterfully acted, impeccably written, & is a lasting story. The play was mixed with flashbacks as well as interspersed with slave songs the soldiers would sing when they were together passing the time. Powerful & moving, this deserves recognition as a show everyone should see.