VanLoan

vanloan@nyconstage.org


High hopes were set for John Patrick Shanley's follow up to his Pulitzer Prize winner Doubt. The second part of a proposed trilogy (albeit autobiographical; having attended Catholic school in the Bronx, the author also served in Camp Lejeune, N.C.), Defiance is set in 1971 in a Marine basic training camp in North Carolina. While nowhere near Doubt in either structural tautness or suspense, the play has many moments of both strength and courage.

Again, Mr. Shanley is preoccupied with the intangible elements of moral rectitude. Having been battered by the amoral turbulence of the 1960's, Lt. Colonel Littlefield (a powerful Stephen Lang) has developed a staunch moral code. He yearns to have one "last, pure final battle" to fight. His wife, Margaret (a sensational Margaret Colin) weary of her life as a "barrack's bride" is eager for a life of retirement in Colorado. His assistant, Capt. King (a competent Chris Chalk) is a young black officer trying to keep a low profile amidst the swirling racial unrest in the camp. Entering into the situation is the new base chaplain, White (a sinister Chris Bauer) whose jovial righteousness sets a tone which will prove lethal as the play progresses.

The ethical crisis that soon pits the four protagonists against each other is a little late in coming. After slowly building each of his characters' emotional crises, the author allows the action to meander towards melodrama. Yet, despite the slack conclusion, Mr. Shanley raises some tough questions about loyalty, honor and a belief in God. The superlative acting goes a long way in making us feel the importance of confronting these moral imperatives.

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