I never saw the play, unfortunately, but I saw the movie back in the mid-’80s. I’m curious to know what your relationship is with the show - had you seen or read it before? Though it premiered in 1981, “A Soldier’s Play” feels more timely than ever. We liked the idea that maybe he was a frustrated singer that happens to be in the army. So Kenny was like, “Why don’t we give people what they want?” So there’s a snippet of me singing. In addition to his acting ability, that’s part of his talent. When Blair Underwood did it on Broadway - Blair is a sex symbol, you know? So when they were in rehearsal, Kenny would go, “Hey, can you unbutton one more button?” By the time the show opened, he was shirtless. Now, as far as me singing - he wanted to use our assets.
They’re being trained to fight, just doing dirty work. The idea was to these men are in jail even though they’re on an army base.
He has the cast singing what they call work songs - songs men would sing together, particularly in jail. He decided to add some musical elements to the show to help with the transitions.
I’m so happy Davenport sings in this production, as do the soldiers. Variety caught up with Lewis in his rare downtime. And in August, he will reprise his role of the Phantom in a concert version of the “Phantom of the Opera” musical sequel “ Love Never Dies” in London’s West End. “A Soldier’s Play” is only his second straight play, following his turn in 2021’s “Chicken & Biscuits.”Ĭalifornia residents can also catch Lewis on June 12 at the Catalina Jazz Club and at the Hollywood Bowl on July 30 as part of “ Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration.” In New York he will appear at 92NY’s Midsummer MusicFest’s “ An Evening with Norm Lewis” on July 11. The play had many notable revivals over the years but only made its Broadway debut in 2020, with Leon directing a cast that included Blair Underwood and Grier, now playing the role of Waters - a performance that won the actor a Tony Award for best featured actor in a play.Ī Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award nominee, Lewis has a long history of tackling iconic roles - he’s appeared on Broadway as Javert in “Les Misérables,” King Triton in “The Little Mermaid” and in “The Phantom of the Opera,” becoming the first African American actor to play the title role in the Broadway production. It won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for drama and spawned a film version, “A Soldier’s Story,” in 1984. “A Soldier’s Play” debuted Off-Broadway in 1981 by the Negro Ensemble Company in a production that starred Denzel Washington, David Alan Grier, Samuel L.
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