Streamers

Broadway poster

Streamers is a play by David Rabe.

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. 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.

Awards and nominations

• Tony Award for Best Play (nominee)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play (winner)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Evans, nominee)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play (nominee)
• New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play (winner)

Film adaptation

Streamers
Directed by	Robert Altman
Written by	David Rabe
Release date(s)	September 16 1983
Running time	109 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

In 1983, Rabe adapted his play for a feature film directed by Robert Altman. 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. In an unusual move, the entire cast was named Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.

External links

• Streamers at the Internet Broadway Database
• Streamers at the Internet Movie Database
• New York Times film review