Santa Monica Mirror - Highly Recommended
"...Murder mysteries, whether cinematic or theatrical, are one of the most popular subjects. The list is quite long, from Agatha Christie’s series to James Crumley’s, The Last Good Kiss, ranked as perhaps the most influential crime novel of the past century. However, one of the most compelling murder mysteries is Charles Fuller’s military drama A Soldier’s Play, which premiered on Broadway in 1981. His brilliant work received the coveted Pulitzer Prize in 1982 as well as scoring a 2020 Tony for Best Revival of a Play."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Broadway star Norm Lewis leads the cast of the military murder investigatory play written by the late Charles Fuller. As swiftly moving as it was in 1981, Fuller’s sturdily written work remains an enduring testament to the home front battles that African-American soldiers fought during World War II, within their ranks as well as with white comrades in arms. It’s a kind of upfront, downhome American classic, and director Kenny Leon and his company lift it not just to relevance, but urgency."
LA Splash - Highly Recommended
"...Kudos are also in order for the production team, including Derek McLane’s nearly perfect set design, Dede Ayite’s timely costumes, Allen Lee Hughes’ lighting, and Don Moses Schreier’s sound. Building that towering stage must have presented some interesting problems. A SOLDIER’S PLAY is recommended for history and mystery buffs, those involved in the military, people concerned about racial issues – and just about everyone else. This is a story about people – flawed, perhaps – but still very human. As such, it will attract and engross audiences."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Whodunnits don’t get any more edge-of-your-seat, and National Tours don’t get any more spectacular, than Roundabout Theatre Company’s Tony-winning revival of A Soldier’s Play, Charles Fuller’s eye-opening look at racism on a segregated WWII-era military base, now keeping audiences on the edge of their seats at the Ahmanson."
Stage Raw - Highly Recommended
"...A Black sergeant is killed, shot to death with two bullets. His body is found in the woods near the Louisiana army base where, in 1944, a company of Black soldiers is stationed. Yes, Charles Fuller’s A Soldier’s Play, winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a riveting whodunit, a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. But it is much more. At its core, it tells the story of a particular kind of pernicious trauma brought on by racism — a self-loathing that leads to tragedy."
Peoples World - Highly Recommended
"...An enlisted man strikes out at his commanding officer during wartime and is promptly sent to the brig. The charge is mutiny. This may sound like the germ of Herman Melville’s novella Billy Budd, memorably turned into an all-male opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by the English novelist E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier. Indeed, that is one acknowledged source of A Solder’s Play, now in an impressive, high-testosterone staging at the Ahmanson Theatre here."
Its Not About Me - Highly Recommended
"...A Soldier’s Play is exactly what a theatre presentation should be—an interesting story, perfect performances and direction, many laughs within a very serious and important subject, and at just under two hours, short enough to leave us wanting more."
Indulge Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Under the masterful direction of Kenny Leon and the brilliant writing of Charles Fuller, "A Soldier's Play" at the Ahmanson Theater delivers an enthralling theatrical experience that demands the attention of every theater enthusiast. This Tony Award-winning revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama takes us back to the era of World War II, immersing us in the investigation of a murder within an African-American army unit in Fort Neal, Louisiana. With deft precision, the play navigates the intricate web of race and power within the military, leaving audiences spellbound from the opening scene to the final curtain call."
The Hollywood Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Indeed, Brian Delate captures the letdown of this production so well. When actors represent soldiers, the reality of military life must be a priority. If one part of that reality is too heightened, it warps the rest of the drama. A Soldier’s Play is an admirable effort that does not pay off in the end because the textured precision of a military drama is overwhelmed by loud vexations, exclamations, and demonstrations."
