A Soldier's Play

by Charles Fuller

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 1982



A black sergeant cries out in the night, They still hate you, then is shot twice and falls dead.

Set in 1944 at Fort Neal, a segregated army camp in Louisiana, Charles Fuller's forceful drama--which has been regularly seen in both its original stage and its later screen version starring Denzel Washington--tracks the investigation of this murder. But A Soldier's Play is more than a detective story: it is a tough, incisive exploration of racial tensions and ambiguities among blacks and between blacks and whites that gives no easy answers and assigns no simple blame.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction, Classics, School, Mystery

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[DeeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread: This play still holds truth to the hate one can give for his own kind.

“Waters: Not havin' ain't no excuse for not gettin”

“ Waters: We're men. Soldiers. And I don't intend for our race to be cheated of its place of honor and respect in this war because of fools like C.J.”

“The worst thing you can do, in this part of the country, is pay too much attention to the death of a negro under mysterious circumstances.”- Colonel Nivens


“- Private First Class Peterson: I didn't kill much. Some things need gettin' rid of. Man like Waters never did nobody no good anyway, Captain.

- Captain Davenport: Who gave you the right to judge? To decide who is fit to be a negro, and who is not? Who?”

#colorism #uncletom

excellent play by Charles Fuller!

[James Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Soldier's Play is set in 1944, in an Army post mostly consisting of African-American soldiers. The death of a black NCO is investigated by an African-American officer under conditions of southern bigotry and institutional racism. But who did murder T/SGT Waters? And who was this spit-and-polish sergeant? What really happened that night in Louisiana? This book will draw you into the story.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent use of lights, shadows, music, and flashbacks. It felt as if I was there looking at the play. Thought-provoking. Great story and great characters.

[Joanne Fate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is quite remarkable and kept my attention until the end. It takes place in 1944 in Fort Neal when our armed services were still segregated. A soldier is murdered. I assumed that I knew what happened and was reading with that belief. I was wrong, and it left me dumbfounded. This play is so well-written that it might do that to you as well. I highly recommend this, especially if you enjoy reading plays.

I found this at a used bookstore almost a couple of years ago. I didn’t know anything about it, but it intrigued me. This year, I decided to read some plays and try to see them on screen or in person. The chances of seeing any in person are small. This was made into a movie called “A Soldier’s Story” with Denzel Washington, but I’m probably going to have to watch an amateur production on YouTube. He was in the original play and is one of the soldiers on the cover.

[Ethan Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this in it's entirety because I was incorporating a performance of the play into a script I'm writing. The play itself is great which made for some pleasant research. I tend to have less interest in art that deals with race relations, usually finding it too corny, preachy, or obvious, but I had no such reservations this time around. Good stuff deserving of the Pulitzer it won.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning look at racial issues faces Black soldiers in the military, and amidst themselves. A mystery told in real time and in flash back, this play is a punch in the gut!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally well-written piece on race and rank. My only comment is that I wish I could say that the play is dated, but, alas.

[Jack Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

That is a young Denzel Washington you see on the front cover, middle. He performed Peterson in the first run of this play. Samuel L Jackson performed Henson, though I am not sure he's on the cover. This play is a bit of a murder mystery, though I think an audience member can anticipate the resolution. Some plays age poorly, but this had a successful revival (ended by COVID) in 2020. I would like to see this play performed. And I would like to attend a conversation about it.

[Grace Deadmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring until the end

[Prismo · Rating 3 out of 5]

the live & movie versions hit better but thats mostly the limitations of reading a screenplay bc this is really well written

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard pill to swallow, but an excellent play. Thorough characters, effective staging, and a thought-provoking subject. Timeless.

[Michelle Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: A black soldier has been found dead just outside of Fort Neal---a segregated army camp in Louisiana (1944). First, the shooting is blamed on the omnipresent KKK, then on racist white soldiers, before finally on a black officer who hates black men who (to him) perpetuate the stereotype of lazy and uneducated.

Thoughts: Fuller’s character list is a simple list of names, with no description provided noting the age or race of any of these characters. For me, this made reading the play confusing at times because I was trying to track the race relations without being certain of which characters were white and which were black. After finishing the play, I feel confident that this was an intentional choice for Fuller. Clearly, if you were watching the play, this wouldn’t be an issue; but the omission of these details demands a more careful reading of the text…which results in more attention to the nuanced relationships and dialogue of Fuller’s characters.

[soleil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my class and I LOVED how the author used lighting and flashback throughout the play. This play examines different avenues of avoiding stereotypes within the black community at a time when social advancement would be more accessible after WWII. The contrasting attitudes of Sargent Waters, Peterson, and CJ were extremely thought provoking as each thought the other were the problem and themselves the solution. I liked the mystery element of the play, and I was surprised by the ending. A good read... also, it was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington (who was also in the play, along with Samuel L Jackson) that the playwright also made called A Soldier's Story!!!

[Evan]

1982 hardcover of this just retrieved from bookstore trash.

This play won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize and was made into an exemplary 1984 movie, "A Soldier's Story," that just about kicked ass on every level, especially for Adolph Cesar's unforgettable, haunting Oscar-nominated performance as the hard-ass and troubled sergeant. A cool feature of this first edition hardcover from 1982 is the inclusion of photos from the 1981 original stage production starring Caesar, Denzel Washington and several others who were, luckily, cast in the film version as well.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

"On one level, it is a murder mystery placed in the context of the racism in the United States Army during World War II. But, on a deeper, less sensational level, it raises questions about the images of African Americans in a predominantly white society and about the rights of African Americans to determine how other African Americans should conduct themselves. In this latter dimension, the play evokes a sense of timelessness as, without attempting to answer them, Fuller poses questions that were as provocative in the 1890s or the 1960s as they are in the 1990s."

[Chip Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Soldier's Play depicts a mystery surrounding the murder of Sergeant Waters who was shot twice by an unknown man. Captain Davenport has been sent to investigate and this sparks controversy within the small community about why a black lawyer has been sent to an army base to investigate a murder. The play showcased a lot of racial conflicts going on during the time. I feel it was a difficult read but worth it.

[Isaac Timm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A play about hate, and all its levels, I had seen parts of a movie based on this play on TV, but really didn't get an idea of what the story was about. Its play that is seems to be nothing more then a simple mystery, but is, in fact layered with subtext and complexity that is missing from most modern plays. The conclusion left me shocked and saddened but with a great deal to give thought too.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this play, as opposed to seeing it, was powerful in the sense that I wasn't able to keep track of who was black and who was white, which is the essence of the play. Knowing that a simple visual of skin color would change the entire perspective of the action was a heart breaking realization.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read and probably not a fair rating, as I read it 35 years after it was first performed. That said, it feels like it was groundbreaking at the time, and there's some nice, nuanced characterization here. To my modern eyes and ears, it felt a little rigid, but still a clearly vital, important text in the history of American drama.

[Matt Carton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little Saturday afternoon reading. A great, and it seems nearly forgotten play. It is constructed beautifully. And, damn, wouldn't it have been great to see Adolph Caesar, Denzel, and Sam Jackson all in the same production?

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Did also see the movie based on the play... Denzel, Adolph Caesar (received Oscar nomination for this role), and Larry Riley played same roles they played in stage version. Samuel L. Jackson, who played Henson on stage, was replaced in movie.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

At an army base during World War II, a black soldier is found murdered, an event that could ignite the era’s racial tensions. Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer, A Soldier’s Play – at least on paper – is an uneven examination of the complexity of racial relations in America. Quasi-recommended.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated when it was written almost forty years ago - which was almost forty years after the setting for the story - so a doubly dated read. Still enjoyable, but probably best to either read aloud or see a production rather than muddling through the reading and its fairly undifferentiated cast.

[Jacques Bromberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough play to read, but dealt honestly and bravely with race issues in mid-20th-century American military.

[Roy]

One of my favorite movies. I must get around to reading the play one day, and seeing it on stage would be awesome as well.

[Stephen A Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wish I could've witnessed this on stage. Great play.

[Andy]

not just a good source of samples for immortal technique

[Amber Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really decent play. I was lucky enough to see it performed before I read it, and both media were exceptional.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well crafted play. Fantastic characters, great story, nice mystery. Everything about it is wonderful.