The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Especially in the era of O.J. and Oliver North, as we’ve become overly familiar with the ins and outs of the legal process, courtroom drama is theater with one hand tied behind its back. Military courtroom drama, which turns performers into “Yessir, Nosir” automatons, pretty much ties the other hand behind the back. And mounting a 40-year-old work complete with creaky, simplistic notions of human personality and psychology is an even tougher task. Director Wilson Milam and his mostly stellar cast work hard but don’t quite succeed at reviving Wouk’s classic.
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In the end, though, what cripples this production is Jeff Still’s mannered, obvious performance in the key role of Captain Queeg, Wouk’s greatest creation here. He is at first glance the ruthless, petty, manipulative embodiment of brinkmanship concealed under a cloak of stout belief in rules and regulations, a man who would endanger the health and sanity of his own crew to discover who ate an extra portion of strawberries. But he’s also the type of soldier who allows the military to thrive. And though we may revel in his downfall, Queeg is ultimately a tragic figure of epic proportions, in some ways driven to madness by the anal perfectionism that made him a success.
