Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama A Few Good Men examines honour and leadership in the modern age
June 16, 2023
Benedict Campbell as Lt. Col. Nathan Jessep in A Few Good Men, Drayton Entertainment, 2020 Season. Photographer: Hilary Gauld Camilleri.
In the heart of the U.S. capital, two marines are on trial for murdering one of their comrades at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. A powerful military colonel will stop at nothing to keep his honour. Facing him in the courtroom is a young hotshot lawyer who is determined to discover the truth.
Judgement awaits as A Few Good Men, by award-winning playwright, screenwriter and film director Aaron Sorkin, convenes at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge from July 5 to July 23.
The story takes its title from a 1985 Marine recruiting campaign that used the headline, “We’re looking for a few good men.”
Sorkin wrote the compelling legal drama in 1989 after his sister, Debra, a lawyer who was serving with the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, defended a group of Marines who nearly killed one of their own in a hazing incident – a “Code Red” – that had been ordered by a superior officer.
Although his previous two plays had been well received, A Few Good Men was Sorkin’s first significant success. He wrote most of the story on cocktail napkins while working as a bartender and transcribed his notes on a computer after each shift.
Sorkin’s agent sent a draft to producer David Brown, who bought the movie rights after the novice playwright convinced him to produce his script for the stage, too.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something.
Lieutenant Colonel Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men premiered at the Heritage Repertory Theatre of The University of Virginia in September 1989 before it transferred to the Kennedy Center, and then to Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. The production starred Tom Hulce, Megan Gallagher (who won a 1990 Theatre World Award for her performance), Clark Gregg and Stephen Lang. Bradley Whitford, Joshua Malina and Timothy Busfield, who also appeared in the play, went on to feature in Sorkin’s T.V. work, including The West Wing, a show that also examined moral dilemmas in public service. Rob Lowe, another West Wing alumnus, starred in an updated 2005 production of A Few Good Men at London’s Haymarket Theatre.
The work of acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and film director Aaron Sorkin - pictured at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011 - often examines the moral dilemmas faced by people in public service. Photographer: David Torcivia.
At the heart of the story is a thought-provoking cross-examination of the meaning of honour, patriotism and truth – common themes in Sorkin’s work – and how those concepts are applied in the real world. What does it mean to serve? How does personal morality come into play if we're called upon to obey orders that we consider unethical? By skillfully presenting the complex arguments for both sides of the case, Sorkin allows the audience to reach its own verdict.
You don’t need to wear a patch on your arm to have honor.
Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men
Framed as a gripping courtroom drama, A Few Good Men is a masterclass in building tension by gradually producing the evidence that reveals the truth.
The 1992 movie adaptation was directed by Rob Reiner and starred Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson. It was a huge hit with audiences and received five Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson.
But while star power is compelling on the big screen, A Few Good Men's intimate interaction between its characters and the rhythm of Sorkin’s dialogue needs to be witnessed live on stage to do it justice.
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