“We at war, we at war with terrorism, racism, but most of all, we at war with ourselves.” – Ye
Director Christopher V. Edwards craftily incorporates Ye’s (Kanye West’s) “Jesus Walks” into the finale of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s production of A Soldier’s Play. Across its two-hour runtime, Edwards eloquently exposes the many of layers of conflict–internal and external–that define define Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. This superb production is running now through February 15, 2026 at the swanky modern Otto M. Budig Theater.
Background
A Soldier’s Play debuted in 1982 and won multiple awards, in addition to the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A 1984 film adaptation helped propel Denzel Washington from a supporting actor to a leading man, yet the film has been lost to time yet remains one of the best military films. The core story is even more poignant today, over forty years later.
Centered around a murder of mysterious circumstance at a segregated Louisiana Army camp in 1944, involving Sergeant Vernon Waters (Geoffrey Warren Barnes II), the Army sends in a black officer, Captain Richard Davenport (K.P. Powell), to fully investigate who killed the totalitarian sergeant.
What unravels is a complex narrative of racism, classism, and black identity within a framework of corruption and inner hatred that goes beyond basic racial motives. The war is bigger than the global stage; the real war is within us, deep within America’s core structure, and this play cleverly reveals it one scene at a time.
The Action
The acclaimed Captain Davenport, trusted by the Army to oversee the case within a tight three-day time limit, must contend with the expected prejudices and biases of the white Captain Charles Taylor (Brent Vimtrup), as well as a pair of MPs and potential suspects: Captain Wilcox (Cary Davenport) and Lieutenant Byrd (Patrick Earl Phillips). Taylor attempts to foil Captain Davenport at every opportunity. Despite their equal ranking, he is genuinely taken aback by his racism. Captain Davenport’s strength lies in elevating himself above the distraction and getting to the core of the mystery surrounding the group of soldiers who were under the Sergeant’s command.
He interviews each private: James Wilke (ranney), Louis Henson (Malik Smith), Tony Smalls (Jay Wade), Melvin Peterson (Anthony T. Goss), Corporal Ellis (Sylvester Little Jr.), and Bernard Cobb (Jason Coffenberry). Each one shares their personal stories about Sergeant Waters, and he is able to get a clearer picture of the systematic pressures affecting the base’s dynamics, which led to a man’s death. During his investigation, he discovers another mysterious death, that of a central figure in his assigned case, Private CJ Memphis (Montez Jenkins Copeland).
All the layers of complexity and complexion build before the conclusion. The ensemble eloquently delivers deeply committed performances that carry the audience through a roller coaster of emotions. They not only do Fuller’s play justice but reclaim it as a vital work for our current political and social climate. Even though it’s set eighty years in the past, its relevance is both powerful and unsettling. It’s a crying shame that some things are hard to change.
The Production Team
The set, designed by Jon Savage, is sharp and crisp. Period appropriate pieces by Moira Seger include authentic military beds, storage chests, and ornamental desks that look straight from the 1940s. I marveled at the large American Flag draped behind the lower stage, which reveals to be transparent, allowing later flashback scenes to show the action with haunting clarity. The Stage Managers, Danitza Piper and Tessa Killen, keep the show moving gracefully through the stage’s levels and multiple escape doors throughout the theater. All of this is complete with Sound and Music from Derek G. Graham and R.M. Lawrence which add to the show’s tight pacing and atmosphere.
Director Christopher Edwards helms the choreography of the fight scenes. But most impressive was his enlistment of Military Consultant Keisha L. Kemper. Kemper ensures the actors’ portrayals of actual military officers are authentic in their looks, stances, movements, and salutes throughout the entire play.
Overall
As the son of a military officer who served in World War II, I found this very fulfilling, as I could relate to this set. The ensemble’s portrayal of A Soldier’s Play is very satisfying and thought-provoking, and it is a must-see theatrical experience exploring “The enemy is within us.”
Tickets
A Soldier’s Play runs through February 15th at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. For tickets, phone the Box Office at 513-381-2273 or purchase online.
Run Time: 2 Hours, including intermission
Content Advisory: Contains simulated gunshots, strong language (including racial slurs), discussion of suicide, and adult situations.
