Friday, April 27, 2007

‘A Few Good Men' crackles with Aaron Sorkin's talent

By ERIC MARCHESE

Special to the Register

Long before Aaron Sorkin's name became a household word with television programs like “The West Wing” and “Sports Night,” we had Sorkin the playwright with his military courtroom drama “A Few Good Men.”

The general public knows this title better as Rob Reiner's 1992 film version of the play. As good as the film may be – and it is indeed solid – the original stage version delivers firepower based not on megastars Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, but on Sorkin's command of the language.

That facility with words comes into focus in Maverick Theater's current staging, which also emphasizes the intensity that can arise when various factions of the U.S. military come to blows.

Sorkin's 1990 script hinges on a hazing incident during boot camp at Camp Windward, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that lead to the death of a young Marine private (Josh Aguilar). The private's squad leader, Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson (Paul A. Hicks), and fellow private Louden Downey (Nate Makaryk) are held responsible for the soldier's death.

Enter Daniel Kaffee (Frank Tryon), a lieutenant, junior grade, stringing out his remaining Navy service with softball games and easy, meaningless cases. Figuring he'll offer a plea bargain in the seemingly open-and-shut case, JAG assigns Kaffee to represent the defendants.

Prodded by Lt. Commander Joanne “Jo” Galloway (Melanie Baker), an eager stickler from the JAG office who outranks him, Kaffee begins digging into the case. Looming over him is the reputation of his late, great father, considered one of the greatest trial lawyers of his day.

Tagged a used-car salesman by Jo, Kaffee can either close the case and be done with it or rise to the occasion and push things to a military tribunal to clear his clients. “A Few Good Men” charts his course and, in the process, reveals itself as a crackling good drama. Kaffee and Jo struggle to define and assemble puzzle pieces that just won't fit – which spurs them on. As flashbacks reveal incidents on the base in the days leading up to the victim's death, “A Few Good Men” drives them to uncover the truth.

In Kaffee's case, that means speaking truth to power in the person of Lt. Colonel Nathan Jessep (Chad Nell in the Nicholson role). The bullheaded, subtly menacing commander of Camp Windward, Jessep rules through intimidation. He can scarcely afford to let anything impede his career's meteoric rise.

As on his TV programs, Sorkin's dialogue is smart and distinct, his characters representing multiple viewpoints and unpredictable agendas. In Christopher Goss' staging, heated discussions lead to hot-tempered flare-ups, showing that reputations, careers and lives are riding on the court case while underscoring the web of themes – duty, honor, self-respect, unspoken codes of conduct, issues of right and wrong, and the complex ethics that surround the Marine Corps – Sorkin carefully weaves.

With a quick mind and breezy manner, Tryon's Kaffee is straightforward and direct, growing intently focused and more fiery as the case proceeds. Baker's Jo is smart and aware of her geekiness yet passionate and profoundly respectful of Dawson's integrity. Her quirky energy fits the offbeat color of her scenes – early examples of the style of banter so prominent on “The West Wing.”

The toughest dog in any room, Jessep's young colonel is suave and sneering, with a palpable revulsion for anyone whom he perceives defies his authority. In a smoldering take, Nell limns these qualities while adding Jack Nicholson's trademark flippancy.

Hicks' tall, taciturn Dawson is a principled soldier of unshakeable resolve. Makaryk's Downey is a slow-witted Southerner. Robert Downs shows light humor and a fierce sense of honor as Kaffee's colleague, Sam Weinberg. Case prosecutor Lt. Jack Ross is played by Stephen Kline as an earnest good old boy and Kaffee's friendly antagonist.

Glenn Kennedy's Lt. Kendrick is young and unflappable, Robin Stuart's Capt. Markinson is a hard-nosed but fair-minded leader and Jared Ruth offers comic relief as the eager-beaver Cpl. Howard. Having Aguilar appear as a military policeman, bailiff and other roles without so much as a disguise or costume change from the murdered young marine is a misstep pointing up this staging's crying need for a few good extras in nonspeaking roles.

Goss' functional, flexible set design features frames, platforms, tables, double doors and slate-gray steps. Adding atmosphere are his rich lighting (created with Makaryk) and movie-style scoring and Heidi Newell's attractive, authentic-looking military costumes.