The original production of The Lieutenant, directed by William Martin and choreographed by Dennis Dennehy opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on March 9, 1975 and closed on March 16, 1975 after nine performances and seven previews. The cast featured Eddie Mekka and was produced by Joseph S. Kutrzeba and Spofford J. Beadle. The Lieutenant was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical, Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, Tony Award for Best Original Score and Best Actor in a Musical. The Lieutenant was originally produced by Queens Playhouse, in 1974 by Joseph S. Kutrzeba, who started the Playhouse. Alan Eichler was the press representative. Producer and Holocaust survivor Joseph Kutrzeba said of the reason he decided to produce The Lieutenant was "The show meant a lot to me on human values. I think the theme is one of cardinal importance to our times: The concept of obedience versus exercising one's own conscience." The Philadelphia Inquirer September 3, 1974 In 1994 an adaptation of The Lieutenant was performed under the title "...One of the Good Guys" by Israeli actor Meir Vardi and David Bolander at the Sanford Meisner Theatre in New York City. A 2018 revival of the show is in pre-production.
Overview
The show poses the question: Where does the guilt lie for the My Lai massacre of civilians in 1968 Vietnam? Does it reside solely in the person of The Lieutenant, who gave the order to "waste them"? Or perhaps in the larger military itself, where wars are planned, body counts are calculated, and inconvenient casualties are sometimes scrubbed from the record? Or just maybe the seeds for deeds like My Lai are latent in the very fabric of the human race, and once in a while the perfect storm of events allows for something terrible like this to happen? The use of music follows the approach of Brecht, whereby the songs comment on themes and issues of the play. In August 2016, Miles Kreuger, president of The Institute for the American Musical in Los Angeles, California, accepted the script, score, libretto, reviews and playbill of The Lieutenant into their archives.
Original Broadway cast
Eddie Mekka starred as The Lieutenant.
Steven Boockvor - Soldier in "C" Company
Gene Curty - Judge, OCS Sergeant
Chet D'Elia - First General
Gordon Grody - Defense Attorney
Walt Hunter - Captain
Clark James - Soldier in "C" Company
James "Jim" Litten - Sergeant, Soldier "C" Company, Clergyman and First Reporter
Donald Rayson McGrath - Chaplain and First Congressman
Jim-Patrick McMahon - Soldier in "C" Company
Eugene Moose - Second General
Joel Powers - Recruiting Sergeant, Senator
Joseph Pugliese - Soldier in "C" Company
Burt Rodriguez - Soldier in "C" Company, Second Congressman, Prosecutor
Alan K. Siegel - New Recruit
Jo Speros - Sole female, Third Reporter
Danny Taylor - Third General
Tom Tofel - G.I., Second Reporter, Soldier in "C" Company
The cast album was recorded in 1975 but never officially released.
Songs
The Indictment – Lieutenant and Judge
Join the Army – Lieutenant, Recruiting Sergeant and Recruits
Look for the Men With Potential – Generals
Kill – OCS Sergeant
I Don't Want to Go Over to Vietnam – Lieutenant and "C" Company
Eulogy – Chaplain
At 0700 Tomorrow – Captain and "C" Company
Massacre – Captain, Lieutenant, "C" Company and Vietnamese
Something's Gone Wrong – Captain and Lieutenant
Twenty-Eight – Generals, Captain and Lieutenant
Let's Believe in the Captain – Generals
Final Report – First General
I Will Make Things Happen – G.I.
He Wants to Put the Army in Jail – Senator, 1st & 2nd Congressmen and Clergyman
There's No Other Solution – Generals
I'm Going Home – Lieutenant and "C" Company
We've Chosen You, Lieutenant – Generals
The Star of This War – Reporters and Lieutenant
On Trial for My Life – Lieutenant
The Conscience of a Nation – Prosecutor
Damned No Matter How He Turned – Defense Attorney
On Trial for My Life – Lieutenant
The Verdict – Judge and Jurors
Finale – New Recruit, Recruiting Sergeant and Company
Critical response
The musical was described by Clive Barnes in his New York Times review as "extremely well staged" a "rock opera", and "it works very well indeed". He also mentioned in The Morning News that the Lieutenant is "attractive and supportive" and there is "never a dull moment" Ernest Leogrande of the New York News Service felt that "they have two of the essentials for any musical show: telling lyrics and strong melodies". The Long Island Press said "If you never see another show, you must see this one"
