Streamers

Infobox Play
name = Streamers


image_size =
caption = Broadway poster
writer = David Rabe
characters = Roger
Richie
Carlyle
M.P.
Martin
Sgt. Rooney
Clark, M.P.
Hinson, M.P.
Billy
M.P. Officer
Sgt. Cokes
setting = a Virginia army base
premiere = 21 April 1976
place = Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
New York City, New York
orig_lang = English
subject =
genre = Drama
ibdb_id = 11202
iobdb_id = 3063

"Streamers" is a play by David Rabe The production transferred to Broadway, opening on April 21 1976 at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, where it ran for 478 performances. The cast included Terry Alexander as Roger, Paul Rudd as Billy, and Dorian Harewood as Carlyle, with Evans, Sweet, and McMillian reprising their Long Wharf roles. Later in the run Mark Metcalf replaced Rudd as Billy.

Plot synopsis

The last in his Vietnam War trilogy that began with "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" and "Sticks and Bones", it focuses on the interactions and personal conflicts of a group of soldiers preparing to ship out to fight in the Southeast Asian conflict. Among them are middle class African American Roger, upper class Manhattanite Richie, who is struggling with his sexual orientation, conservative Wisconsin country boy Billy, and fearful loose cannon Carlyle, a streetwise black. In charge of their barracks are abrasive alcoholic Sgt. Cokes, who already has served overseas, and aggressive Sgt. Rooney, who is anxious to get into combat.

Its title a reference to parachutes that fail to open, "Streamers" originally was a one-act play entitled "Knives" Rabe completed in the late-1960s prior to writing the first two-thirds of his trilogy. While working as a journalist in New Haven, Connecticut, he expanded it into a full-length play. Under the direction of Mike Nichols, it premiered at the Long Wharf Theatre on January 30 1976. The cast included Herbert Jefferson, Jr. as Roger, Peter Evans as Richie, John Heard as Billy, Joe Fields as Carlyle, Dolph Sweet as Cokes, and Kenneth McMillan as Rooney.

Film adaptation

In 1983, Rabe adapted his play for a feature film directed by Robert Altman and produced by Robert Michael Geisler and John Roberdeau. The cast included David Alan Grier as Roger, Mitchell Lichtenstein as Richie, Matthew Modine as Billy, Michael Wright as Carlyle, George Dzundza as Cokes, and Guy Boyd as Rooney.

Awards and nominations

;Awards
* 1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play
* 1976 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play;Nnominations
* 1976 Tony Award for Best Play

References

External links

*ibdb title|13520
*imdb title|86377