"A Few Good Men" tells the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending two United States Marines accused of murder. As tensions mount between the three defense lawyers, the play raises the question of what it really means to have honor, dignity and humanity in an increasingly complex world. "A Few Good Men" is an engrossing and deeply moving battle to discover the truth in a minefield of deceit and deception.

"A Few Good Men" was written by Sorkin when he was 28 years old and working as a bartender at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre in 1983, Sorkin found his passion in writing plays, and quickly established himself as a young promising playwright. Allegedly, he wrote much of this story on cocktail napkins during his shifts as a bartender. In 1989, he made his Broadway writing debut with "A Few Good Men", the show ran for nearly 500 performances and earned him the John Gassner Award for Outstanding New American Playwright.

Sorkin�s subsequent film adaptation was nominated for four Academy Awards and five Golden Globes, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. He followed this success with the screenplays for "Malice", starring Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman, and "The American President", starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening. Sorkin produced and wrote the television series "Sports Night" for ABC for two years, winning the Humanitas Prize and the Television Critics Association Award. He spent the next four years writing and producing the NBC series "The West Wing", winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series all four years along with many other awards. Sorkin continues to write about very topical subjects. His most recent script is the basis for the current film Social Network - the story of Mark Zuckerberg, his creation of Facebook and the subsequent lawsuits it engendered.

The Playhouse has cast a mix of local and New York talent for the production. Returning from "The 39 Steps" is Jim Sorensen in the role of Lieutenant Kaffe. Returning from "Twelve Angry Men" cast is Ralph Redpath (Capt. Julius Alexander Randolph), Kevin McKee (Capt. Matthew A. Markinson) and Nathan Thomas (Pfc. William T. Santiago). Also in the show is Dustin Brayley (Cpl. Jeffrey Owen Howard) from "For the Glory" and "Here There and Everywhere: An Evening with the Beatles", as well as Playhouse regular, Damian Duke Domingue (Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick) who is reprising his role from the �93 FRP production. Also locally cast is James Faucett (Cmdr. Walter Stone), the Executive Director of the Henderson County Arts Council, as well as Eric English (Pfc. Louden Downey) a YouTheatre Conservatory student and senior at West Henderson High.

Also in the cast are: Eleanor Handley (Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway), a classically trained Australian actress; James Holloway (Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson) a graduate of Pennsylvania�s Valley Forge Military Academy and featured in the current HBO film "The Roe Effect"; Brian Lafontaine (Lt. j.g. Sam Weinberg) who was featured in this summer�s "Drop Dead Diva" on Lifetme Television; Kelley Hinman (Capt. Isaac Whitaker) a recent transplant from LA to Asheville; Charles F. Wagner IV (Lt. Col. Nathan Jessep) a New York actor who regularly works with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival in Raleigh, NC; Chris Allison (Lt. Jack Ross) who has performed as a guest artist with Blue Ridge Community College, SART and NC Stage; Joshua Looney(MP) from Charlotte; and Regan McLellan (MP) a recent graduate from the FRP Apprentice program.

Following upon the heels of the very successful production of 12 Angry Men, the Historic Henderson County Courthouse will provide the perfect backdrop for Sorkin�s intense courtroom drama with the first act taking place in the Courthouse Community Room then transferring to the Courtroom during intermission. �The uniqueness of using the community room for the first act is pretty central to the dramatic effect of the play. The room will be completely transformed from a utilitarian room into a much more intimate experience for the audience. This will be one of the few times where the audience will actually be so close that they feel like they are a part of the show,� says director Vincent Marini.

Executive Producer Flight Wood Grill and Wine Bar presents "A Few Good Men" onstage October 6 through October 31. The Historic Courthouse is located on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville at One Historic Courthouse Square. Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 and matinee performances are most Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00. Tickets to "A Few Good Men" are $34 with limited seating in the Courtroom. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

(Image provided by Flat Rock Playhouse.)

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