Theater review: ‘Mutiny at Port Chicago’ at Ruskin Group Theatre

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On July 17th, 1944, two massive explosions ripped through the Port Chicago Navy Munitions base near San Francisco. Most of the 320 men killed were African American sailors loading weapons, as the Navy did not permit them to serve in combat. When a group of black seamen refused to go back to work under similarly volatile conditions, they were charged with mutiny.

This little-remembered but extraordinary chapter in American race relations is the subject of Paul Leaf’s absorbing courtroom drama, “Mutiny at Port Chicago,” now at the Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica.

The walls of Christina Silvoso’s stark set are covered with phrases from enlistment oaths and the primary documents of American liberty. These estimable words surround the linguistic skirmish between Seaman Little (J. Teddy Garces), de facto leader of the striking men, and the Navy’s prosecutor (Cris D’Annunzio).
What’s unspoken, of course, is the diminished value the Navy put on black lives.

Leaf captures courtroom fencing with economical wit. But the play never quite gets inside its characters, and retains the distanced feel of a history lesson. As Little, however, Garces gives a powerfully understated performance, while Maury Sterling’s defense counsel is a wry hero straight out of Howard Hawks.

Leaf might consider revising “Mutiny” to give his juicy characters the dramatic space they deserve.

-- Charlotte Stoudt

“Mutiny at Port Chicago,” Ruskin Group Theatre, 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends Aug. 15. $15-$20. (310) 397-3244. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes