Matter Of Honor

Matter of Honor by Michael J Chepiga is the latest offering at the Passadena Playhouse. Its an interesting play about the second black cadet , Johnson Whittaker, admitted to West Point and the concerted efforts to drive him from the institution. He   has been championed by   officer Scofield (Richard Doyle)  who gets him admitted but then aids in his dismissal when he is attacked, his ears cut like a farmer marks cattle, and causes a scandal because he accuses white cadets. Whittaker’s entire stay at West Point has been characterized by extreme hazing (or is it more sinister) and something called “silencing” where he is subjected to total rejection and silence from the rest of the cadets. Whittaker, Whittaker (movingly played by Cedric Saunders) is finally accused of fabricating the whole episode and purposely banging his own head and cutting his own ears to get revenge or is it attention.  Like “Doubt” which play earlier at the playhouse you never really know what true.  He is finally found guilty and expelled from the academy.  We do find out that in later President Clinton commuted his sentence and awarded his commission a long time after his death although we never know exactly why.

The performances are all good with the exception of the lead actor Eric Lutes. His character was very difficult because he is a drunk and is not a very good investigator with secrets of his own to hide. I just don’t feel Lutes brought much to the role. The real stars of the show are the director Scott Schwartz, the set designer Robert Brill’s imposing set, and the sound design by Mark Bennett. But how do you whistle a set. They do a lot to overcome a rather thin plot that   never explains anything and has little tension,  but the production values are first rate.

PASSADENA PLAYHOUSE

39 S. MOLINA AVE  626 356 PLAY until Sept. 30