Theatre: A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin
Date(s):
Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 7:30 pmLocation:
Studio Theatre, University Center for the Arts 1400 Remington
Price:
$8/CSU students, $18/public. Advance purchase is highly recommended to avoid at-the-door ticket fees.
Directed by Laura Jones
Click here to watch a slide show of the production.
Before it was an Oscar-winning movie in 1992, Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men was the playwright’s first Broadway play. Sorkin is known for characters facing personal or ethical ambiguity…people doing the “wrong” thing for the “right” reason. Set in the summer of 1986 in Washington, D.C., and on the United States Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, two Marines are on trial for complicity in the death of a fellow Marine as the result of an illicit disciplinary measure known only as a “Code Red.” Their Navy lawyer expects a plea bargain and a cover-up. Prodded by a female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients, but not before putting the military mentality and the Marine code of honor on trial. His nemesis, Colonel Nathan Jessep, memorably portrayed in Rob Reiner’s film by Jack Nicholson, famously declares, “You can’t handle the truth!”
The antics and altercations between the bright but brash defense lawyer Daniel Kaffee and the assertive but socially inept Joanne Galloway, add plenty of wise cracking humor and a subtle hint of romantic comedy. The audience is the jury in this entertaining and thought-provoking investigation of military morality in our modern age.
Mr. Sorkin won the 2011 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network. Also known for original screenplays such as Malice (1993) and The American President (1995), Sorkin was the executive producer and primary writer for The West Wing which won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama for four consecutive years.
Contains adult language – not appropriate for youth under the age of 17.