Good Times
February 20, 1997

A Soldier's Identity
African-American Theatre Arts Troupe takes up tricky topic of race
relations in important play

By Dave Bennett

PLAYWRIGHT CHARLES Fuller offers up a great script with A Soldiers Play. In it, he refuses to take the easy road morally sanctioned melodramatic bludgeoningÑthrough the mess that is American race relations. Rather, he manages to be thoughtful and practical at the same time.

Setting the play in 1944 Louisiana Fuller tackles the issues surrounding the building-up of an African-American identity. Sergeant Vernon C. Waters is as tragic a figure as any, pursuing identity via often misguided even offensive means. His provocative final exclamation, "They still hate you," is a stirring testament to his life's concern.

The play (staged at the Louden Nelson Center by the African-American Theatre Arts Troupe) opens with this line as Waters is murdered. It proceeds through carefully orchestrated flashbacks to show how this realization necessitates his death. Don Williams attacks the role of the washed-up, old-school Sergeant with obvious relish, setting himself up to be hated and pitied and hated for his actions, pitied for his fruitless philosophy If only the rest of the cast could be imbued with William's passion!

Cast as the unifying strand that runs through the action, Darryl Davies wanders about like a somnambulist as investigator Captain Davenport That the essential conflicts assume a lackluster feel is probably attributable mainly to Williams' donning of the directorial cap when his hands are already full playing Waters. The production needs momentum, or at least an occasional speed change.

As Private C.J. Memphis, Jerry Brown, Jr. is sensitive, even excellent, until we are informed that he is supposed to be an ignorant clown in Waters' eyes; the possibility would never have occurred to us otherwise. It does not seem to have occurred to Brown. The lighting is irreverently Sporadic. and the set tends to make more noise under combat boots than the actors care to compete with.

As a general rule, the actors manage to keep up with the lively banter in Fuller's script during ensemble bits. Allen Burnett as P.F.C. Peterson is especially good.

None of this, whoever, can detract from the importance of the script itself. Waters' death is no simple lynching, but the assassination of a prophet. Deranged, drunk, boorish, and nasty he may be but his struggle and his inelegant, unasked for leadership in a race still wholly oppressed are profound. Waters is a bastard. yes, but so is hamlet. Fuller has accomplished tragedy.