''A Soldier's Play'' is a play by American playwright
Charles Fuller. Set on a
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
installation in the
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of human ...
-era
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
, the play is a loose adaptation of
Herman Melville
Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...
's novella ''
Billy Budd
''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'', also known as ''Billy Budd, Foretopman'', is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed vers ...
'', and follows the murder investigation of the Sergeant in an all-black unit. The play uses a murder mystery to explore the complicated feelings of anger and resentment that some
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
s have toward one another, and the ways in which many black Americans have absorbed white racist attitudes.
The drama won the
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...
, among other accolades. It was the basis for a 1984 feature film adaptation, ''
A Soldier's Story
''A Soldier's Story'' is a 1984 American mystery drama film directed and produced by Norman Jewison, adapted by Charles Fuller from his Pulitzer Prize-winning '' A Soldier's Play''. It is a murder mystery set in a segregated regiment of th ...
'', for which Fuller wrote the screenplay.
Plot synopsis
The story takes place at the
United States Army's Fort Neal, Louisiana, in 1944 during the time when the military was racially segregated. In the opening scene, the audience witnesses the murder of black Sergeant Vernon Waters by an unseen shooter. Just before his death, Waters utters the enigmatic cry, "They still hate you!"
Captain Richard Davenport, a rare black Army officer, has been sent to investigate the killing. Initially, the primary suspects are local
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
smen. Later, bigoted white soldiers fall under suspicion. Ultimately, Davenport discovers the killer was one of the black soldiers under Waters' command. Waters' men hated him because Waters himself treated Southern black men in utter disdain and contempt.
As Davenport interviews witnesses and suspects, we see flashbacks showing what Sergeant Waters was like, and how he treated his men. The light-skinned Waters was highly intelligent and extremely ambitious, and loathed black men who conformed to old-fashioned racist stereotypes. Waters dreamed of sending his own children to an elite college where they would associate with white students, rather than with other blacks. In Waters' mind,
Uncle Toms and "lazy, shiftless Negroes" reflected poorly on him, and made it harder for other African-Americans to succeed. For that reason, Waters persecuted black soldiers like Private C.J. Memphis, whose broad grin and jive talk made Waters' blood boil. Waters' cruelty and vindictiveness drove Memphis to suicide, which alienated the rest of Waters' men, and turned them hopelessly against him.
Shortly before he was murdered, Waters came to realize how futile and foolish his lifelong attempts to behave like a white man had been. His dying words, "They still hate you," reflected his belated understanding that white hatred and disdain of black men like himself had nothing to do with stereotypical black behavior, and that whites would probably always hate him, no matter how hard he tried to emulate "white" ways.
Productions
The play originally was staged
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
by the
Negro Ensemble Company
The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by producer-actor Robert Hooks, playwright Douglas Turner Ward, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundatio ...
at the Theater Four (now called the Julia Miles Theater). It opened on November 20, 1981, and closed on January 2, 1983, after 468 performances. The original cast included
Adolph Caesar as Sergeant Waters,
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
as Private Peterson,
Larry Riley as Private C.J. Memphis,
Samuel L. Jackson as Private Louis Henson,
Peter Friedman as Captain Charles Taylor, and
Charles Brown as Captain Davenport. The director was Douglas Turner Ward. The play won, in addition to the Pulitzer Prize, the
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...
for Best Off-Broadway Play, the
New York Drama Critics' Circle
The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 23 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jon ...
Award for Best American Play, and the
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...
for Distinguished Ensemble Performance.
["'A Soldier's Play' 1981"]
lortel.org, accessed November 18, 2015
The Valiant Theatre Company presented the play Off-Broadway at Theatre Four from November 19, 1996, to December 8. Directed by Clinton Turner Davis, the cast featured
Wood Harris (Private First Class Melvin Peterson), Keith Randolph Smith, Danny Johnson (C.J. Memphis), Geoffrey C. Ewing (Captain Richard Davidson), Jonathan Walker and
Albert Hall (Sergeant Waters).
The play was revived Off-Broadway by
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theater is a non-profit theater company that presents work by living American writers both on and off Broadway. It is based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and is affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
Founded in 1979 ...
from September 20, 2005 (previews), opening on October 17, 2005, and closing on November 27, 2005. Directed by
Jo Bonney, the cast featured
James McDaniel as Tech. Sergeant Vernon C. Waters,
Anthony Mackie as Private First Class Melvin Peterson,
Mike Colter as Private C.J. Memphis,
Dorian Missick as Private Louis Henson,
Steven Pasquale as Captain Charles Taylor, and
Taye Diggs as Captain Richard Davenport.
Roundabout Theater Company presented the play's Broadway debut in January 2020, starring
David Alan Grier as Sergeant Waters,
Blair Underwood as Captain Davenport, and
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha ( ; born July 6, 1981) is an American actor, director, producer, and former professional football cornerback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Fran ...
as Private First Class Melvin Peterson; directed by
Kenny Leon. As of March 8, 2020, the production had completed 55 performances. On March 11, 2020, all Broadway theaters closed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, suspending the play's run. Despite its shortened run, the production won multiple accolades, including the
Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, the
Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, and the
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play. The play embarked on a national tour during the 2022–2023 season, starring
Norm Lewis
Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and baritone singer. He has appeared on Broadway and in London's West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He is also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second ...
as Davenport and
Eugene Lee as Waters.
Film adaptation
Caesar, Washington and
Larry Riley reprised their roles in the film version, ''
A Soldier's Story
''A Soldier's Story'' is a 1984 American mystery drama film directed and produced by Norman Jewison, adapted by Charles Fuller from his Pulitzer Prize-winning '' A Soldier's Play''. It is a murder mystery set in a segregated regiment of th ...
'', directed by
Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...
.
Television adaptation
In September 2021, it was reported that
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...
will be adapting the play into a limited television series titled ''A Soldier's Story''. Grier will reprise his role as Waters and also serve as executive producer on the series.
Awards and nominations
Original Off-Broadway Production (1981)
Off-Broadway Revival (2005)
Broadway Revival (2020)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soldiers Play
1981 plays
Off-Broadway plays
Pulitzer Prize for Drama–winning works
New York Drama Critics' Circle Award winners
African-American plays
American plays adapted into films
Detective, mystery and crime plays
Plays about the military
Plays set in Louisiana
Fiction set in 1944
Tony Award–winning plays