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| Streamers | |
|---|---|
 Broadway poster byPaul Davis | |
| Written by | David Rabe |
| Characters |
|
| Date premiered | April 21, 1976 |
| Place premiered | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater Off-Broadway |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | a Virginia army base |
Streamers is aplay byDavid Rabe. It was included byHarold Bloom in his list of works constituting theWestern Canon.[1]
The last in hisVietnam Wartrilogy that began withThe Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel andSticks and Bones,[2] it focuses on the interactions and personal conflicts of a group of soldiers preparing to ship out to fight in the Vietnam War in 1965. Among them aremiddle classAfrican American Roger,upper classManhattanite Richie, who is struggling with his sexual orientation, conservativeWisconsin country boy Billy, and fearful loose cannon Carlyle, a streetwise Black man. In charge of their barracks are abrasivealcoholic Sgt. Cokes, who already has served overseas, and aggressive Sgt. Rooney, who is anxious to get into combat.
The title is a reference toparachutes that fail to open.[2]Streamers originally was a one-act play entitledKnives Rabe completed in the late 1960s prior to writing the first two-thirds of his trilogy. While working as ajournalist inNew Haven, Connecticut, he expanded it into a full-length play. Under the direction ofMike Nichols, it premiered at theLong Wharf Theatre on January 30, 1976.[3] The cast includedHerbert Jefferson, Jr. as Roger,Peter Evans as Richie,John Heard as Billy, Joe Fields as Carlyle,Dolph Sweet as Cokes, andKenneth McMillan as Rooney.[4]
Streamers premiered at theLong Wharf Theatre inNew Haven, Connecticut in 1976. The play transferred to theOff-BroadwayLincoln CenterMitzi E. Newhouse Theater opening on April 21, 1976, and closing on June 5, 1977 after 478 performances. The cast included Terry Alexander as Roger,Paul Rudd as Billy andDorian Harewood as Carlyle, with Evans, Sweet, and McMillian reprising their Long Wharf roles.[5] Later in the runMark Metcalf replaced Rudd as Billy.
Streamers was revived by theRoundabout Theatre Company. The play opened at the Off-Broadway Laura Pels Theatre on October 17, 2008 in previews, officially on November 11, in a limited engagement to January 11, 2009.[6] This production was based on the one presented by theHuntington Theatre in 2007.[2][7][8]
It was directed byScott Ellis. The cast includedJ.D. Williams as Roger,Hale Appleman as Richie,Brad Fleischer as Billy,Ato Essandoh as Carlyle,Larry Clarke as Sgt. Cokes, andJohn Sharian as Sgt. Rooney.[6]
Source: Playbill Vault[9]
In 1983, Rabe adapted his play for a feature film directed byRobert Altman and produced by Robert Michael Geisler andJohn Roberdeau (The Thin Red Line). The cast includedDavid Alan Grier as Roger,Mitchell Lichtenstein as Richie,Matthew Modine as Billy,Michael Wright as Carlyle,George Dzundza as Cokes, andGuy Boyd as Rooney. The movie was awarded a Golden Lion for its entire ensemble cast at the Venice Film Festival. The film was released on DVD viaShout! Factory in January, 2010.
