by Sharon Carroll

What better play to present this season than the military drama, A Few Good Men? Kaleidoscope Theatre announced the line up of its 31st season well before the tragedy of September 11th, but they have made special plans to honor our military for their dedication and sacrifice. "As a tribute to our military, active duty personnel will be admitted free of charge to this production with the presentation of I.D. and advance reservations," Assistant Director Sue Webb said.

A Few Good Men began as a play by Aaron Sorkin and enjoyed great success at the box office when it was adapted to a screenplay. The film starred Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore and made the line, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" legendary in the minds of theatre goers. Marty Hendrickson plays the coveted role of Lt. Col. Jessup in Kaleidoscope's production. He said, "The hardest part in preparing for this role was to not be Jack Nicholson; whenever I direct a show myself I always want my actors to do exactly the opposite of what the audience expects." So audiences can look forward to some surprises out of Hendrickson's portrayal of Jessup. According to Webb, the first time he rehearsed the courtroom scene many of the cast members were startled by his intense characterization. Hendrickson has been working around the military for twenty years and has had plenty of role models in powerful positions to draw from.

A Few Good Men is centered around the military court martial of two marines accused of murder at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the novice Navy attorney assigned to defend them. At first glance the story line may not seem to reflect positively on the military but as Charles Mirus who portrays attorney Dan Kaffee explains, "It was an isolated situation on one base with one commanding officer." Hendrickson added that the commanding officer considered himself a true patriot who would do or say anything in order to do his job. He elaborated on the fact that there will often be a loose cannon or two in an organization as large as the military. "But the military has a system in place to deal with a loose cannon like that that may find his way in to a position of power. What other organization has its own court system along with jails to deal with its offenders?"

There are several cast members who have military backgrounds including local attorney Chris Patterson who is a retired JAG officer and plays the role of Markinson. Hank Winn, the Senior Marine Instructor of the Marine Corp JROTC at Mosley High School is playing Judge Randolph, has served as a military advisor for the production as well as providing Marine uniforms. "He has been invaluable to our production; his contributions have added authenticity to what we are doing," Webb said. Director/Set Designer Charles Wilson also appreciates the contributions of Claude Harvey in providing the Navy uniforms. Winn and Harvey have had no small task as each cast member is outfitted in three different uniforms.

Surrounded by a cast of eighteen men, Tammy Craddock has the one female role in the play, Lt. Commander Joanne Galloway, a stubborn JAG officer who is determined to uncover the truth. This has been quite an experience for Craddock whose husband is in the Air Force. She said, "We don't understand their lives. When they get orders they can't ask questions, they have to follow them; it is their law." She has to pretend to be a military woman for a few hours a day for a short time but it is often a 12-hour per day job for her husband. Little things like remembering to stand with her hands to the side and learning all of the ranks have been challenging even for the wife of a military man.

Paxton McCaghren has gained a great deal of respect for the military during this rehearsal process. He plays Lt. Jack Ross, the prosecuting attorney and said, "It is such an honor to play a military man but I do not have the feet to fill those shoes in real life; I am glad someone can do it." McCaghren, a very laid back person, has had a difficult time achieving the appropriate posture for a military man. He explained that the uniforms are tapered and fitted intentionally tight to help with posture. He has had to learn how to breathe in the uniform and project his voice in order for the audience to hear him. David Garcia (Lt. Weinberg) explained his experience by saying, "It injected a certain amount of humanity in to the military process for all of us."

As always, when plays are made in to films, we can expect some significant differences between the two. In this particular case, the catalyst for the outcome is quite different from the movie version, however, fans of the film will not be disappointed. Wilson said, "A Few Good Men has such a strong script with the most riveting dialogue and I am delighted with my cast."

A Few Good Men is appropriate for mature audiences due to the use of strong language.

The show opens tonight at 7:30 with additional evening performances March 2, 8, 9, 15 & 16 and matinees March 3, 10 & 17 at 2:00 p.m. Call 265-3226 for reservations. Reservations are strongly encouraged for this production. Kaleidoscope is located at 205 E. 24th St., ½ block from the Lynn Haven Post Office.