A FEW GOOD MEN, Excellent Masterwork of Moral Complexity plus Theatrical Brilliance. This Play Launched a Legendary Career. Before Aaron Sorkin became a household name with THE WEST WING, before his Academy Award-winning screenplay for THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and before his transformative adaptation of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for the Broadway stage, there was A FEW GOOD MEN. Written when Aaron Sorkin was just twenty-eight years old, this extraordinary play, announced the arrival of a singular-voice in American theatre, with a writer whose crackling dialogue, moral seriousness, and ability to transform complex institutional conflicts into gripping human drama, that would come to define an era of storytelling. Highly Recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This extraordinary fast-paced production, with its razor-sharp direction, enhanced rather than obscured, all of Aaron Sorkin’s vision, and is a timeless and contemporary triumph that fully demonstrates the play’s continuing vitality. The result is that you must experience all of this powerful theatre work, performed to absolute perfection, and fully proves that Aaron Sorkin’s work, can support fresh interpretations, while still remaining true to its essential nature.
More than three decades after its 1989 Broadway debut, A FEW GOOD MEN stands as a towering achievement in American playwriting. As one admirer eloquently stated, “arguably his best work in any medium” and yes a very bold statement, given Aaron Sorkin’s subsequent achievements, yet one that becomes increasingly defensible with each passing year and each new production that brings this masterwork to life. The play remains “a fine example of drama, wit, and moral ambiguity,” a work that has lost none of its power to grip audiences, challenge assumptions, and leave us breathless with its climactic revelations.
Old-Fashioned Courtroom Drama, with a Contemporary Edge. The setup of A FEW GOOD MEN appears deceptively simple. Two young Marines, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson, and Private First Class Louden Downey, both stand accused of murdering a fellow soldier, Private William Santiago, at the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Yes this case seems open-and-shut, just a tragic incident involving hazing gone too far. As the play unfolds, what emerges is a labyrinthine exploration of power, loyalty, and the shadowy spaces as located between the right and the wrong.
Aaron Sorkin’s genius lies in his narrative architecture. The story moves with breathtaking assurance between the sun-baked, tension-soaked atmosphere of Guantanamo, versus the polished, pressure-cooker environment of the courtroom. This geographical and tonal shift creates a dramatic engine of extraordinary power, maintaining “the high tension” throughout, as we watch the defence team piece together the truth, while navigating a military hierarchy designed to protect its own.
What distinguishes A FEW GOOD MEN from conventional courtroom dramas is the refusal to settle for easy answers. The play presents us with a mystery that is less about what happened than why, and then more troublingly, about whether the “why” might be morally defensible, even when the “what” is clearly criminal. The play touches on multiple moral themes, including justice, blind loyalty, accountability, hazing, the questioning of authority, abuse of power, and corruption. These are not abstract philosophical questions but visceral, immediate concerns. that Aaron Sorkin embeds into every scene, every exchange, every carefully constructed revelation.
The playwright was inspired by his sister Deborah, a lawyer who served three years in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. This lends to the proceedings, an authenticity that never feels researched or secondhand. Aaron Sorkin changed the details of the actual incident that sparked his imagination. Making the circumstances to be more tragic, and with the focus on the three JAG officers, who become the play’s moral compass. This creative freedom, lead to explore the deeper truths, rather than mere fidelity to the facts would permit.
Aaron Sorkin at His Most Electrifying. More than three decades after its Broadway debut, A FEW GOOD MEN stands as a landmark of American theatre. It launched one of the most successful writing careers of the past fifty years, plus provided generations of actors, with roles of extraordinary range and depth, and gives audiences a play that entertains passionately while challenging deeply. If narrative structure provides the play’s skeleton, dialogue is its lifeblood. The script is sharp, witty, and has often dramatic exchanges. Great writing that crackles with intelligence, that pivots from humorous banter, to deadly serious confrontation, that reveals character, not just through exposition, but through the very rhythm and cadence of speech.
Consider the early exchanges between Lieutenant Daniel A. Kaffee (Bailey Parker), the cocky young defence attorney, and his more circumspect colleagues. Kaffee’s rapid-fire jokes, and seemingly casual attitude toward the law initially mark him as a lightweight, as a man skating by on natural charm, and the legacy of his famous father. Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue never lets us rest easy in our judgments. The wit that seems merely glib in one scene, becomes in another scene a weapon of devastating precision. The humour that provides relief in the first act becomes, by the second, a mask for profound self-doubt and moral uncertainty.
Aaron Sorkin’s writing style involves, standard conversation replaced by witty repartee, and dialog paced so fast that you do not have time to consider the limitations. What makes the play truly great, is that there are no significant limitations to ponder. The speed of the dialogue is not a magician’s distraction, but rather a reflection of how people actually think and argue when the stakes are life and death. The, very snappy exchanges create a theatrical experience of almost unbearable intensity. The play also demonstrates Aaron Sorkin’s remarkable ability to make legal procedure feel not just accessible but thrilling. Arguments about jurisdiction, rules of evidence, and military protocol become matters of life and death, not because Aaron Sorkin condescends to simplify them, but because he shows us, with breathtaking clarity, what hangs in the balance.
The Characters are Complicated Humanity in Extremis. A Few Good Men would not work half so well if its characters were mere mouthpieces for competing ideologies. But Aaron Sorkin populates his play with human beings of extraordinary complexity, and these figures command our sympathy, even when we disagree with them, who challenge our assumptions even as they confirm our suspicions.
The Reluctant Hero, Lieutenant Daniel A. Kaffee, is a character who could easily have been a cliché as the unmotivated genius who must be shaken into greatness. He emerges as one of the most compelling protagonists in modern American drama, is a testament to Aaron Sorkin’s understanding of human nature, and the demands of theatrical storytelling.
Lieutenant Daniel A. Kaffee begins the play as something of a cipher, a man who has spent his first months as a lawyer using plea-bargaining as his way through dozens of cases, thus avoiding the hard work of actual courtroom confrontation. Defensive wit, is his charm and a shield against genuine engagement. Beneath the surface, Aaron Sorkin suggests, there lies something more, with a young man haunted by the legacy of a famous father, and very terrified of failing in a arena where his parent, so spectacularly succeeded.
The arc of Kaffee’s transformation is one of the play’s great pleasures. Prodded by the forever unwavering moral compass of Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway (Julia Grace), and confronted with the stark reality of his clients’ plight, Kaffee sheds the layers of protective irony to reveal a fierce, determined, and ultimately heroic advocate. The play is more about a young man coming of age, maturing, and finally getting past his fears, rather than about the legal case that provides the structure.
Kaffee is the play’s reluctant heart, Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway is its moral conscience. As the lawyer who first senses something amiss in the Santiago case, Galloway embodies the kind of principled commitment that the military justice system both requires and resists. She is compassionate and a stickler for the rules, who prods, pushes, and speaks out, even though it is not her case to begin with.
Aaron Sorkin’s treatment of the female character, Lt. Cdr. Joanne Galloway, who has to deal with men who are not entirely keen on dealing with a female in a high rank, a dynamic that remains quite relevant, and is notably very progressive for a late-1980s play. She is never reduced to romantic interest or comic relief, because her gender is a fact that other characters must contend with, but it never defines her.
The defence team is completed by Lieutenant Sam Weinberg (Michael Haratzis), a character who could easily be lost in the shuffle, but who emerges in Aaron Sorkin’s hands, as an indispensable presence. Lieutenant Sam Weinberg is The Quiet Voice, being the “quiet member of the team,” a married man with a new child who has “other things on his mind”. He serves as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting wryly on the action, while remaining fully engaged in its moral stakes. Lieutenant Sam Weinberg’s understated presence, is crucial to the play’s balance. Where Kaffee provides flash and Galloway provides fire, Weinberg provides perspective, and a reminder that the issues at stake, are not abstract legal questions, but important matters that affect real families, real lives, and real human beings just trying to do their jobs, but in an impossible situation.
Colonel Nathan Jessep (David Allsopp) is THE VILLAIN Who Believes that He Is The Hero. A FEW GOOD MEN has entered our cultural DNA, primarily through one character, Colonel Nathan Jessep. He is the commanding officer of Guantanamo Bay, and the architect of the infamous “CODE RED” that leads to Santiago’s death, and is the author of the most famous speech in modern American theatre. What makes Jessep so extraordinary and so terrifying, is that he is not a villain in any conventional sense. He is not Iago motivated by pure malice, moreover he is not Richard III delighting in his own wickedness. Colonel Nathan Jessep is something far more disturbing, as this man genuinely believes that his actions are necessary, and that the brutalities that he authorizes, do serve “the higher purpose”, and that the society he protects, lacks the moral courage to understand what safety it needs and requires.
This is the deep insight at the play’s core. Jessep makes an argument that is not easily dismissed, our liberal values can only exist when someone is willing to do the non-liberal work of defending them. The idea that “classic liberal insecurity values”, exists only when a non-liberal someone, is quietly doing the necessary dirty work to make all of them to be possible. Jessep embodies that paradox, with terrifying conviction. He is A TRUE BELIEVER, as a man so convinced of his own righteousness, and the necessity of his methods, that he has placed himself above the law.
When Jessep finally explodes on the witness stand with “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” at that point, he is not merely venting or revealing his guilt. He is making a philosophical argument, one that the play takes seriously, even as it ultimately rejects it. The speech remains electrifying, decades after it was written, simply because it speaks to something fundamental about the relationship between security and freedom, between the protections we demand, and the costs we are unwilling to acknowledge.
The Men in the Middle. The two accused Marines, Dawson and Downey, could easily become ciphers, as symbols rather than human beings. But Aaron Sorkin gives them distinct personalities and genuine dramatic weight. Dawson, in particular, emerges as a figure of tragic complexity, a young man fully wrapped up in the traditions of the Marines, and their allegiances to “UNIT, CORPS., GOD, COUNTRY.” The final confrontation with Kaffee “I WOULD RATHER YOU JUST SAID THANK YOU” is just precisely devastating, simply because it reveals the depth of his commitment, to a code that has destroyed him.
The Thematic Depth with Questions That Haunt. What elevates A FEW GOOD MEN from superb entertainment, to lasting art is its willingness to grapple with questions. that have no easy answers. The play is, at its core, an examination of honour and what it means, what it costs, and whether honour can survive the institutions that claim to protect it.
The Marines’ code “Unit, Corps., God, Country” is not mere background noise but a central theme, a mantra that Aaron Sorkin deconstructs and examines from every angle. What does it truly mean to be honourable? Is it blind obedience to an institutional code, or is it the courage to question that code when it leads to injustice? Dawson believes he acted with honour, following the unwritten rules of his tribe, even as the law condemns him. The play refuses to resolve this tension neatly, leaving us to wrestle with the implications long after the final curtain.
The play also offers an indictment of the abuse of power. Jessep represents the ultimate danger of absolute authority, with the belief that the ends justify any means, and that one is accountable to no one. His argument that he protects a society too weak and naive to protect itself is both seductive and horrifying. The play forces us to confront the uncomfortable possibility that we do need people like Jessep, while simultaneously showing us the moral corruption that such power inevitably breeds.
And finally, it is a play about truth. The truth that Kaffee seeks is not just a legal fact, but a moral one. He must uncover not only who gave the order, but why. The play suggests that truth is not always clean or convenient, plus it can be ugly and destructive. Ultimately, the truth is the only thing that can set us free.
The Theatrical Experience and Must Be Seen Live. While the 1992 film adaptation introduced A FEW GOOD MEN to many millions, the play offers something quite distinct and quite irreplaceable. In live theatre, there is no camera to cut away, and no close-up to direct our attention. We must choose where to look, what to focus on, whom to believe. This freedom, and this responsibility, makes this theatrical experience, uniquely powerful.
The themes of institutional loyalty, the abuse of institutional power, and the courage to speak with one hundred percent truth to authority, remain as relevant today as they were in 1989, and now perhaps yet more so. The ever popular USA political figure, yes the current POTUS is A TRUE BELIEVER, of course would make the case that suspending the code and the rules to get the job done is necessary.
More than three decades after its Broadway debut, A FEW GOOD MEN stands as a landmark of American theatre. It launched one of the most successful writing careers of the past fifty years, provided generations of actors with roles of extraordinary range and depth, and gave audiences a work that entertains passionately while challenging deeply.
The play’s influence extends far beyond the stage. Aaron Sorkin’s signature style, this breakthrough prestige work, the actors are in motion, and the issues are never simple, but always create tension, has shaped television, film, and theatre for three decades. The play’s ultimate legacy is simpler and more profound, as it continues to move audiences. There are so many outstanding performances from the actors, and yes all of them, from the leads to minor roles, were just superb.
The Verdict is “Guilty Of Brilliance”. A FEW GOOD MEN is one of those rare and theatrically intense plays, with overwhelming power, that is built almost entirely on its dialogue, and succeeds with all its wonderful characters. A captivating and arresting court-room drama, that works brilliantly, while never forgetting that its first job is to entertain.
For anyone who loves seeing live theatre, and for anyone who cares about justice, plus for anyone who has ever wondered what they would do when faced with an impossible choice between loyalty and truth, A FEW GOOD MEN is essential. It easily earns its place, among the great American plays of the past half-century, and it will continue to challenge and inspire audiences for many generations to come. The measure of a great play is not its historical significance, OR its influence on other artists, but its power to grip us, move us, and change us during the living moment of performance. By this measure, A FEW GOOD MEN is not merely a good play or even a great one. It is essential.
The verdict is unanimous. A FEW GOOD MEN is guilty of brilliance, of power, of lasting significance. Five stars, without reservation or qualification.
Tickets are available from Trybooking –
https://www.trybooking.com/DJHFM
A FEW GOOD MEN – STARRING –
Lt. J.g. Daniel A. Kaffee – Bailey Parker
Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway – Julia Grace
Lt. Col. Nathan Jessep – David Allsopp
Lt. j.g. Sam Weinberg – Michael Haratzis
Lance Corporal W. Harold Dawson – Liam Dewar
PFC. Louden Downey – Jacob Gardner
Capt. Matthew A. Markinson – Lee Sarich
LT. Jonathan James Kendrick – Alexander Wright
LT. Jack Ross – Ale Feudal
CAPT. Julius Alexander Randolph – Bron Calcraft
Capt. Isaac Whitaker – Will Rodriguez
Cmdr. Walter Stone / Orderly – Josh Stanes
CPL. Jeffrey Owen Howard – Callum Horan
Tom / Lawyer /Hammaker/ Sergeant At Arms – Jared Coughlin
Dunn, Lawyer, Santiago, MP – Andy Hastie
A FEW GOOD MEN – CREATIVES
Directed by – Paul Winchester and Blair Cutting
Produced by – Paul Winchester
Lighting Designer – Michael Arnott
Costume Designer – Marisa Newnes
Assistant Costume Designer – Lisa Miller
Stage Manager / Sound Op – Kayla Stubbs and Max Quirk
Set Design – Michael Haratzis
Photos – Kirrily Sly
Flyer Design – Tim Pace
Trigger Warnings EXPECT – Depictions of Self Harm, Physical Assault, Sounds of Gun Shots, Strong Language.
SIX performances only, from 20th until 29th MARCH 2026, at the Star Of the Sea Theatre, Manly. ((( Corner of Collingwood and Illuka Avenue, Manly. Stella Maris campus )))
“A FEW GOOD MEN” by Aaron Sorkin.
Presented by Point Break Theatre Co.
Directed By Paul Winchester and Blair Cutting.
Costume by Marisa Newnes, set design by Michael Haratzis,
Lighting by Michael Arnott.
Stage Managers / Sound Op Max Quirk and Kayla Stubbs
