A SOLDIER’S PLAY

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Sacred Fools Theatre
Through June 25

They still hate you, they still hate you.” The words are cried out by a drunken, disoriented man on his knees, just before two gunshots silence him. Thus begins Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize winning drama about a murder on a Louisiana army base during World War II, when segregation was the law of the land, and Jim Crow ruled the South.

Who killed Sergeant Waters (Victor Isaac, who also directs), the head of an all-black unit of soldiers relegated to demeaning jobs and playing baseball to entertain white officers? Sent from Washington to uncover the truth is Captain Davenport (Dominic Daniel), a black officer — rare in those times — who encounters resistance, racism and anger from both sides of the color line. Reluctantly assisting him is Captain Taylor (Mike Patrick), who has never seen a black officer but nevertheless is determined to do whatever it takes to solve the mystery.

The story unfolds in flashbacks and as a series of interviews conducted by Davenport among the soldiers of Water’s unit, with each man providing a stark picture of the murdered party and the ugly, debilitating self-loathing that he projected upon his men, which ultimately led to his murder.

Isaac’s spare, straightforward staging is good; the problem is in the performances, which were frustratingly uneven. On more than one occasion, Daniel dropped lines, as did Isaac and others. Patrick was only partially convincing.  Ryan Lacey was impressive and convincing as C.J. Memphis. Also turning in good performances were Rosney Mauger and Demetrius Butler.

Sacred Fools Theatre, Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood; https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4529 Running time Ninety minutes with no intermission.