The play A Soldier’s Play is a suspense/murder mystery thriller set on a Louisiana Army base with a 'whodunit' storyline where the culprit is not revealed until the very end

It was written by late Philadelphia playwright Charles Fuller, and it is now being presented by The Shubert Organization and The Kimmel Cultural Campus. 

“We are delighted to present this revival of Charles Fuller’s work for the very first time in his hometown of Philadelphia, a city where arts and culture thrive. Fuller’s play is a shining example of a work that is just as relevant today as it was at its premiere four decades ago,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc.

A Soldier’s Play, which addresses racial relationships and conversations in the military, is directed by Kenny León and stars Norm Lewis (as Captain Richard Davenport) and Eugene Lee (as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters) alongside an all-male cast and creative team with the exception of Associate Director Cristina Angeles. She is an Afro-Latina theater maker whose mission is to create community and conversation by directing new work, and socially conscious adaptations of classics that place people of color at the forefront. Her recent credits include Into the Woods at Pace University, and an upcoming production of Queen of Basel at Theaterworks Hartford.

"Work everyday was an absolute joy. Since I had been Kenny's assistant director on Broadway, I was put in charge of restaging the touring production based on our work on Broadway. We were also able to bring on the entire creative team from the Broadway production, which became a great reunion after 3 years apart,” said Angeles in an interview with AL DÍA.

The associate director admitted that “the biggest challenge was making sure that the staging of the touring production still felt true and natural to the new cast of actors. Rather than completely copy what we did on Broadway, we wanted to make sure that the actors had the flexibility to explore each character for themselves,” she added. 

A Soldier’s Play, which won the Tony Award in 2020 and Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1982, opened on Jan. 24 at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, and will run through Jan. 29.

“Not only is the play a Pulitzer Prize winner, but 40 years after it was written its relevance has only grown stronger. It satisfies audiences that love political dramas, mysteries, and who crave nuanced portrayals of both black and white men in America both now and then. There are twists, turns, and it really is a fantastic night of theater that inspires curiosity and conversation,” said Angeles, encouraging the Philadelphia public not to miss the show. Tickets are on sale here.

After its premiere in Philly, A Soldier’s Play will open in Minnesota, Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Arizona and California theaters.