Pollard Delivers A Spit-Polished Performance With “A Few Good Men”
The defense team, Keegan Zimmerman as Lt. Weinberg (seated) Crystal Barby as Cmdr. Joanne Galloway and Joshua McGowen as Lt. Daniel A. Kaffee. Photo courtesy of The Pollard
“A Few Good Men” is currently impressing audiences at the Pollard theatre in Guthrie Oklahoma. Two marines are to stand trial for the murder of a fellow soldier while stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The two soldiers may have been ‘hazing’ their fellow soldier, or ‘directed’ (a ‘code red’ unofficial order) to motivate a marine when he unexpectedly died. Scenic and Lighting Designer W. Jerome Stevenson working closely with McDonald created a beautiful and natural set for the show, accommodating the various scenes realistically.
The two defendants are Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey. The dead marine is Private William Santiago, a soldier who was unhappy in his unit and had requested numerous transfers. After Santiago’s death an investigation is launched. Dawson and Downey were with Pfc. Santiago when he passed, and Dawson was the one to contact the infirmary. Santiago arrived at the infirmary where the doctor, Cmdr. Walter Stone, noted that he had been restrained and gagged with a possibly toxic rag. Dawson and Downey are put under arrest and transported to Washington D. C. for court martial.
Lt. J.G. Daniel A. Kaffee is chosen to represent both marines at their court martial in Washington D. C. Kaffee is assisted by Lt. J.G. Sam Weinberg. Providing further help is Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway who will ultimately be chosen to represent Pfc. Downey directly. Kaffee is less driven than Galloway, but both have a different perception of ‘semper fidelis’ than the defendants. What it means to believe in unit, corps, God, and country seems different; some reluctance to trust their assigned counsel is apparent. Highest in command at Guantanamo Bay is Lt. Col. Nathan Jessep. Colonel Jessep is a bold ambitious marine with exceedingly focused dedication.
The Defendants: Ellie Valdez as Pfc. Louden Downey and Dakota Muckelrath as Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson in restraints with Joshua McGowen as Lt. Daniel A. Kaffee (unrestrained) Photo Courtesy of The Pollard Theatre
Linda Lee McDonald is a skilled director and exacts a degree of excellence from her cast; military commanders may very well be envious! Her casting decisions are unexpected as well as brilliant and she stretches the actors with superb results. Joshua McGowen has the role of the suave, cool as a cucumber defense lawyer, Lt. Daniel A. Kaffee. He gives Kaffee’s legal brilliance a shine that is spit-polished even as his shoes are scuffed; his dedication to his profession is profound. McGowen meets the challenge of this role with poise. Crystal Barby brings a different passion to every role she plays and a passion for justice is clearly revealed in her role as Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway. Barby brings a bright clarity of purpose to Galloway, highlighting her dedication. James A. Hughes is Lt. Col. Nathan Jessep. Colonel Jessep is a ‘lifer’ and dedicated marine who may have lost his way over the years focusing on service rather than country. Hughes plays Jessep with finesse, and one can almost empathize with Jessep in his position, but he is clearly no Patton; only a selfish cog, whose sense of superiority has been allowed to flourish and taint his command. These three are brilliantly cast with a unique sense and lead the remaining cast members making “A Few Good Men” a very intelligent production.
The remaining 13 cast members present a unified military aspect that gives “A Few Good Men” the authenticity that author Aaron Sorkin intends. The cast is ramrod straight and very circumspect in most cases; yet they are wearing their emotions somewhere on their sleeves, as they present no deviations in their dress code!
In addition to the superb leadership of these three actors the entire cast does a very good job with this play, bringing realism to the roles. Keegan Zimmerman lends a nice element to the defense team as Lt. J.G. Sam Weinberg, and Timothy Welch as Lt. Jack Ross decidedly challenges Kaffee. Ellie Valdez as Pfc Louden Downey and Dakota Muckelrath as Lance CPL Harold W. Dawson display a very nice stoicism as the defendants willing to sacrifice for honor. Timothy Stewart allows a touch of nerves to enter into his character as the doctor, Cmdr. Walter Stone and Alison Chambers is an excellent judge as Capt. Randolph. Derek Kenney is Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick, who follows orders exactly, and Kevin Moore as Capt. Matthew A. Markinson, wishes he had not followed his orders exactly are quite good, and of course, John Davis is barely seen from remembered distance as William Santiago, the misfit marine. Thor Bautz, Cam Taylor and Jared Blount round out the cast of gentlemen soldiers nicely while Sarah Henry as Cpl. Howard brings a little excitement and humor into the courtroom as she gets tripped up in her questioning by Kaffee.
“A Few Good Men” is playing at the Pollard in Guthrie through March 3, 2018. Curtain rises at 8:00 pm Thursday through Saturday with a Sunday Matinee at 2:00 pm. Visit www.thepollard.org or call the box office at 405-282-2800 for tickets and information. While Sorkin’s fictional story reflects an isolated incident, every audience member should be well able to ‘handle the truth’, and handle the show with understanding and appreciation. Those familiar with military protocol will definitely appreciate the Pollard’s production of “A Few Good Men.”
The courtroom with James A. Hughes as Colonel Nathan Jessep, Kevin Moore as Capt. Matthew A. Markinson (Standing) Joshua McGowen as Lt. Daniel A. Kaffee and Crystal Barby as Cmdr. Joanne Galloway
P.S.
A few days after “A Few Good Men” opened, this critic noticed the movie playing on one of the many cable channels available nowadays. Watching the end of the film, some comparisons between the critically acclaimed movie and this production of “A Few Good Men” were unavoidable. On screen, Nicholson has the advantage of the close up. In the auditorium Hughes has the advantage of live performance. One performance is as good as another. Although many are fans of Nicholson, they might agree, Hughes has the edge with the magic of live theatre. Superb performance from Hughes. Super cast with superlative direction from Linda Lee McDonald. And that’s the truth!