‘A Few Good Men’ Review: Broadway Revival Breathes New Life Into Aaron Sorkin’s Courtroom Classic
The Broadway revival of Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” gives the long-running courtroom drama a visually striking staging at Lincoln Center, while examining the clash between military discipline and individual justice. Directed by Michael Arden, it centres Joanne Galloway, a naval lawyer who pushes a reluctant colleague to take the defence of two accused Marines seriously.
Krysta Rodriguez plays Galloway opposite Tom Blyth as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, with Lavel Schley and Collin Kelly-Sordelet as the defendants. The production uses costume changes, formation and movement to show Galloway’s initial isolation and the Marines’ conformity. The review praises its brisk dialogue and theatrical design, while noting that some characters feel dated or caricatured.
In short
- Michael Arden stages Sorkin’s courtroom drama at Lincoln Center.
- Galloway’s outsider status shapes the production’s visual design.
- The review praises the staging but finds some characters dated.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The revival’s staging makes the play’s case for individual justice vivid: Galloway challenges a culture of obedience that risks treating orders as a substitute for moral responsibility. Its brisk dialogue and theatrical design give fresh force to the idea that even unpopular defendants deserve a serious defence and that institutions must answer for their actions.
The case against
The story’s emphasis on individual conscience can understate why military discipline and cohesion matter, particularly in settings where clear obedience may protect lives. The review’s concern that some characters feel dated or caricatured also suggests the revival may simplify the people and institutional pressures on both sides of the courtroom, weakening the complexity of its argument.
Explained simply
“A Few Good Men” is a courtroom drama by Aaron Sorkin, first known as a stage play and later adapted into a film. It follows a military trial over the treatment of two Marines at a US naval base, raising questions about obedience to orders and responsibility for harm.
In a military court, lawyers represent the accused and the prosecution, while a judge oversees the case. The revival focuses on naval lawyer Joanne Galloway and her effort to get colleague Daniel Kaffee to mount a serious defence; the dispute matters because it tests how military discipline should be weighed against the rights of individuals.