Credit: Derek Fu
At Jericho Arts Centre in rep until August 17, 2018
Tickets from $24 at ensembletheatrecompany.ca
Posted July 31, 2018
If you saw the 1992 film A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, you already know it’s a trial drama involving orders given to two Marines that resulted in the death of a third. But under the capable direction of Alan Brodie and Tariq Leslie for Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC), the outstanding performances in this production make this well worth seeing.
Having missed the film, I found the plot fresh and always engaging. Under orders from Col. Nathan R. Jessep (Yurij Kis), inscrutable Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson (Michael Kiapway) and slightly nervous PFC Louden Downey (Marc LeBlanc) have carried out a ‘Code Red’, a disciplinary action not in any policy manual, on a fellow Marine who dies as a result. Charged with defending Dawson and Downey, Lt. Junior Grade Daniel A. Kaffee (Zac Scott) initially appears to be seeking a plea bargain but rigorously prompted by fellow lawyer Lt. Commander Joanne Galloway (Alexis Kellum-Creer) to look deeper into the matter, he is eventually persuaded that Dawson and Downey were under orders. Jessep, of course, denies it and says that he had ordered the deceased removed from his company. The trick, of course, will be to get Jessep to confess he gave the order.
Credit: Derek Fu
Corruption in the military, in politics, in the corporate world have become commonplace so there’s no shock value in A Few Good Men and, indeed, we’ve come to the point that a few good men is about all we can expect. But playwright Aaron Sorkin has crafted a well-paced, well-written drama that captures your attention from beginning to end.
Costume design by Julie White makes the production look authentically American Armed Services and a spare set design by Alpha Flight keeps the focus on the action that takes place in Guantanamo Bay.
Particularly strong are Scott (as Kaffee) and Kellum-Creer (Galloway). Kaffee, never having seen the inside of a courtroom but a Harvard Law School graduate, is flippant and a know-it-all. Scott portrays him as a jerk and initially completely dismissive of Galloway who has far more courtroom experience than he and, moreover, who believes the men were acting under orders. Scott does a great job of showing how Kaffee finally realizes he has a chance to make his mark in this trial and how he grows as a man and as a lawyer throughout the proceedings. Kellum-Creer makes Galloway consistently gracious and thoughtful, pushing Kaffee to dig deeper and use those Harvard Law School skills.
Credit: Derek Fu
Always dependable actor James Gill does a solid job of Captain Matthew A. Markinson, one of the few good men, and Christine Reinfort, as prosecutor Lt. Jacqueline Ross, tries hard to do what prosecutors are paid to do: get their man or, in this case, men.
The bad guy is Jessep and Kis leaves no doubt that Jessep is hiding the truth and is willing to see two of his men – who were simply following his orders – court-martialled.
The dénouement is explosive and romance between Galloway and Kaffee is, thankfully, avoided.
While what goes on in the US military may not be all that relevant to Canadian audiences, A Few Good Men raises the age-old question: at what point do we refuse to follow orders? That is a question most of us can’t answer until we’re put in the position and, with luck, we will never find ourselves on that brink. Who, ultimately is responsible: the ones who give the orders or those who carry them out? Or are they all equally guilty?
A Few Good Men runs in rep with The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Dark Road until August 17, 2018 as part of ETC’s 6th Annual Repertory Festival.