REVIEW: a few good men successfully honors a ‘90s classic
Photos by Willie David Short V
“The cast of the production is more than twice the size of any of its previous offerings over its ten year history and fortunately, their risk has paid off…”
A Few Good Men is being given a terrific production by Creative License at Cohoes Music Hall. It is directed by Aaron Holbritter, Creative License’s co-artistic director and co-founder and features a few men who have worked numerous times with the resident theatre company of CMH – notably Ian LaChance, Tom Templeton and David Quiñones but there are more than a few good men in this excellent rendition of the 1989 Aaron Sorkin play that was made into a crackerjack 1992 movie starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. The cast of the production is more than twice the size of any of its previous offerings over its ten year history and fortunately, their risk has paid off with their best advance ticket sales.
There has been a death of a Marine on Guantanamo and the play opens with the two Marines downstage accused of his murder. Chad Reid and Marquis Heath face the audience in camouflage fatigues (excellent costume work by Casey Polomaine, Lisa Morgan & The Costumer)…and we are in another world. Chad is unrecognizable in the role of Lance Corporal Dawson and had me completely gripped with his firm conviction throughout the play. Similarly, Marquis' trademark megawatt smile flashed only once during the course of the evening which made his plight as Private Downey even more pitiable. Excellent work, gentlemen.
Tom Templeton in the Cruise role of Kaffee is quickly introduced and the actor hasn’t missed a step as the glib, smart-ass Sorkin hero who must come to terms with his commitment to the values he swears an oath to, like honesty and justice. His sidekicks are the terrific Meaghan Rogers as an Internal Affairs lawyer who has the talent to get under everyone’s skin and still be right. She shines as the only woman on stage easily holding her own and never asking for acceptance; she demands it. Christopher Urig (so good in so many shows lately; On Golden Pond, Dinner With Friends and Chapter Two) provides a great deal of humor fiddling with his pens and clutching his briefs nervously as co-counsel Sam Weinberg. Urig also has the most moving moment in the show when he barely controls his rage against the two defendants for their conduct against the victim.
At the performance I saw David Rook lay out the terrain of the case, crisply walking us through it and introducing us to the murdered Private Santiago by way of one of his flashback letters seeking to be transferred off his base. It is a testament to the success of this production (and to Capital Region theatre as a whole) that these two vitally important yet small roles were played to perfection by two seasoned actors. The production added Saturday performances which Mr. Rook took on from Gary Hoffman and Scala is co-director of the upcoming Hamlet at HMT where I’m sure he has his hands full.
In Cuba, we are introduced to Nellson Jacobs-Moore as Markinson, Ian LaChance as Kendrick and Shawn Morgan as Lieutenant Colonel Jessup. Jacobs-Moore easily conveys a sense of troubled decency in scenes where LaChance’s religious fervor and conviction play off of Jessup’s dry command. Morgan is impressive as a mountain of authority and entitlement and LaChance is just… repellent, in the best way possible. You don’t want to look away from this fanatic. His barking of orders to his company commanders is thrilling and conveys all the espirit de corps I needed.
David Quiñones as prosecutor Ross is coolly efficient, capable, and offers a fair fight to Kaffee. Jay Hunter is the presiding judge farthest upstage with a wry tone; he could have used a bump more volume where he’s presiding. Stephen Henel offers some much needed physical comedy on the stand. Ian Hollowood and Thom Ingram offer great military deadpan playing various guards and scene changers authoritatively. (Ingram also offered his services to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest last summer and similarly lifted that enterprise with his presence as an orderly.) They add a lot to the play which moves quickly – a good thing because the evening is not brief. One quibble: my heart sank to see a comfortable couch hauled out late in the play, not once but twice.
The large cast of Meaghen and the Men filling the Remsen Street historic stage feels like reason enough to cheer but if you’re paying attention, the Capital Region stages are filled with such able bodied, talented actors. Indeed, most of the actors on stage can be found every weekend of the year honing their craft elsewhere. It is nice to get such a large group together all in one place now and then. A Few Good Men as directed by Aaron Holbritter is an excellent opportunity to see this better than solid cast hit this one over the barricades. There’s only a giant flag on the upstage wall and tables and chairs but just imagine how easy their strike is going to be like. What a cast!
A Few Good Men presented by Creative License runs through Sunday, 2/9. Tickets www.thecohoesmusichall.org
