Herman Wouk wrote this play based on the ending of his novel The Caine Mutiny (and the play opened with Henry Fonda playing the defense lawyer Greenlaw!) and he maintains the heart of the story. However, it isn't as compelling as the full length movie (and I assume novel). ( )

If you've ever watched the Caine Mutiny movie, you are familiar with the story. A small Navy ship in World War II, the USS Caine, during the height of a typhoon, the executive officer Ensign Willis Keith, relieves his Captain, Lt. Commander Phillip Queeg, to save the ship. The movie was based on Herman Wouk's book, as is the Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, which is a two act play the Wouk wrote to adapt the novel for the theater. The Court-Martial play focuses only on the end of the story, the court-martial of Ensign Keith, and effectively summarizes the events that led to the mutiny in the court proceedings. This is a wonderful adaptation of the story and captures the drama of the courtroom, but also the events on the ship. If you've never seen the movie (and shame on you if you haven't!) then this is a great, short (only 2 hours long) dramatization that completely captures the essence of Wouk's work. ( )

This play, written by Wouk based on his novel, preserves the heart of the drama but is slightly less effective than the full-length movie (with Humphrey Bogart as Queeg). ( )

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