The American Civil War was not a laughing matter. But if anything, even slightly humorous, took place during the bloody War Between the States, it probably had something to do with a true-to-life participant in that conflict, a major general in the Union Army named Benjamin Franklin Butler.
Playwright Richard Strand has written a show about this unlikely source of witty banter and humorous escapades, a production called Ben Butler, now being presented by the Boca Stage troupe at the Sol Theatre in Boca Raton.
Troy Stanley portrays Ben Butler in the show of the same name playing through April 10 at the Sol Theatre, performed by the Boca Stage troupe. (Photo by Amy Pasquantonio)
Four talented actors with the chops to focus on the lunacy of military bureaucracy star in this critically acclaimed production that continues through April 10. Part comedy, part history, the play is inspired by real-life characters who had to deal with an actual mid-19th century conundrum.
Thanks to Strand’s adept writing, thoughtful direction by Genie Croft and committed performances by the show’s cast, Ben Butler is not only funny, it’s also an entertaining spiritual study of two men of similar character whose lives intersect in real life —Major General Butler (Troy Stanley) and escaped Virginia field hand Shepard Mallory (Denzel McCausland).
Denzel McCausland, foreground, and Troy Stanley in a scene from Ben Butler, playing through April 10 at the Sol Theatre, performed by the Boca Stage troupe. (Photo by Amy Pasquanatonio)
The plot centers on the insightful and insistent efforts of Mallory and two other escaped slaves to gain asylum at Fort Monroe in Virginia during the early years of the Civil War. Butler, commanding officer at the post, is a man who soared up the military hierarchy in record time – and is already in a tough spot. He’s a Union general, but the fort is located in Virginia, which has just seceded to the Confederacy.
Actually, Strand could probably have written several plays about Butler, the New Hampshire-born, Massachusetts-raised pony soldier who was apparently a repository of foibles. History says the antics and “orders” given by this lawyer-turned-military man confounded government officials of every ilk, from Abraham Lincoln to Jefferson Davis.
Coincidentally, Butler spends considerable time in this play telling how he voted 57 times for Davis as the Democratic presidential nominee at the 1860 convention.
Jordan Armstrong and Denzel McCausland in a scene from Ben Butler, playing through April 10 at the Sol Theatre, performed by the Boca Stage troupe. (Photo by Amy Pasquanatonio)
In the show, Butler, the unorthodox, sherry-swigging, book-educated not-ready-for-combat soldier faces a virtually unsolvable moral dilemma: Follow the letter of the law by sending runaway slaves back to their so-called “owners” or make a game-changing move that could alter the course of American history.
It’s a battle of wits and wordplay as the characters spar with each other on issues of respect, equality and civil rights – traits that continue to befuddle the American political landscape even in 2022.
Troy Stanley portrays Ben Butler in the show of the same name playing through April 10 at the Sol Theatre, performed by the Boca Stage troupe. (Photo by Amy Pasquantonio)
“This play is a stellar combination of comedy and historical drama, quick-witted and consistently entertaining,” said the director, Genie Croft. “We’ve put together an outstanding cast that brings out both the humor and the pathos of this work.”
The show opens in the general’s opulent office. Lt. Kelly (Jordan Armstrong), the commander’s slightly daft, spit-and-polish, do-it-by-the-book right hand man, storms in with word that three escaped slaves are outside, and the leader is “demanding” an audience with the top brass. The general is righteously enraged by the man’s audacity and, at first, refuses to speak with him.
The situation takes a more desperate turn when the soldiers outside notice slaves in their midst and tumult begins. Butler and Mallory finally meet – and eventually discover they are two of a kind – cerebral, and not always willing to take the easy way out.
Jim Gibbons and Troy Stanley in a scene from Ben Butler, playing through April 10 at the Sol Theatre, performed by the Boca Stage troupe. (Photo by Amy Pasquanatonio)
Before the slavery issue is set to rest, Butler must deal with Major Cary (Jim Gibbons), a crusty, take-no-prisoners Confederate officer who arrives to take the slaves away. He spurns Butler’s offer of sherry, and after a tete-a-tete that goes awry, he spits into the glass and retreats in anger.
Just how Butler and Mallory reach an agreeable accord – if such a thing is possible at this point — is grist for a humor mill that continues to grind until the final curtain.
Much of the play’s success belongs to an excellent cast. Stanley steps lively and passionately into the role of Ben Butler, whose actual post-Civil War life included terms in the Bay State Senate and a turn as governor inside the golden-domed Statehouse on Beacon Hill.
Troy Stanley and Denzel McCausland in a scene from Ben Butler, playing through April 10 at the Sol Theatre, performed by the Boca Stage troupe. (Photo by Amy Pasquanatonio)
