High Street Arts to Reopen With 'A Few Good Men'

Can you handle the truth? You'll have the opportunity to find out when the begins its 2011-2012 season with a production of A Few Good Men on Friday.

The play became a household name in 1994 when it was transformed into a film with leading actors Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.

Aaron Sorkin, author of the play and film, first wrote the play version in 1984 while attending graduate school, James Cluster, co-director of the Arts Center production, said.

The story centers around a Navy lawyer who must defend two Marines accused of murder.

Howard Leader, an actor set to play Col. Nathan Jessep, said the play version is similar to the film with some subtle differences. However, famous lines in the movie, such as his character’s “You can’t handle the truth,” line will be in the play.

In fact, “much of the dialogue is word for word from the movie,” said Ken Rayzor, director of the High Street Arts Center.

While the play is similar to its film counterpart, portraying it at the theater level is not that easy.

“The play actually presents many unique challenges in that we see a variety of locations and quickly move from place to place, so our crack team of stage hands will be deftly working their magic to seamlessly shift us from scene to scene,” said Shane Bingham, co-director of the play.

While there is a challenge with keeping up with the high number of scenes, Cluster believes his creative team has been successful.

“One way we got around the very quick pace mixed with numerous scenes was to create a stage which could be sectioned off and allows us to move, through lighting, from one scene to another and create different zones and places for the audience to see,” said Cluster.

As well, the act of transforming a highly successful movie into a play presents a particular challenge.

“There is pressure on all the actors that have a role in this play as they will be compared [to the movie] inevitably,” said Leader.

While the comparisons to the movie may be inevitable, the High Street Arts Center has no intention of emulating the on-screen performance.

Rather, they seek to pay homage to the movie but not imitate what has already been done, Bingham said.

In fact, in an effort to not mimic Jack Nicholson’s performance, Leader will not watch the movie until the performances are done.

“While I want to be just as great, I do not want to emulate,” Leader said.

Despite the challenges, Rayzor believes that it is a strong show and a good show to start the season with.

“We went a long way by casting the show really well to begin with and we don't think people are going to be disappointed with what they see,” said Cluster said.

There will be 15 performances that run Friday through Sunday beginning this Friday and ending Sept.18.

Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. while Sunday performances start at 2 p.m.

Tickets vary in price with regular admission at $18, students, teachers, military and seniors at $14 and children 12 and under at $10.

Friday’s opening night performance will have increased ticket prices as it includes a champagne reception with the actors directly following the play. Opening night’s prices are $21 for regular admission, $17 for students, seniors, military and teachers and $13 for children 12 and under.

While children are permitted, “the play is not really recommended for children mostly due to language,” Rayzor said.

Nonetheless, “we hope everyone will come and see if they too can handle the truth,” Cluster said.

For a complete list of this season's shows, visit the High Street Arts Center website.