A play inside a courthouse?

ASHEBORO — Danielle Langlois and Patrick Osteen were butting heads at the Historic 1909 Courthouse. But it was all just an act as they were rehearsing RhinoLeap’s production of “A Few Good Men.”

The 1992 film of Aaron Sorkin’s play, starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, was a box-office success and is known for Nicholson’s character proclaiming, “You can’t handle the truth!”

“A Few Good Men” is a military courtroom drama revolving around the court-martial of two Marines charged with the murder of another Marine. But a subplot is the wrangling among the JAG lawyers involved in the case.

Headlining the cast are:

— Brian Thomas Abraham from Los Angeles, currently living in New York.

— Bob Beshere of Greensboro.

— Langlois of Los Angeles.

— Osteen of Asheboro.

— Tom Butler at UNCG.

— Kira Geiger of Asheboro.

— JB Griffith of Liberty.

— Lalenja Harrington of Greensboro.

— Xavier Henry of Winston-Salem.

— Joel McClosky of Asheboro.

— Giovanni Pinales of Asheboro.

— Colin M. Smith of High Point.

The local production is directed by Shirley Serotsky, who last year was RhinoLeap’s director of “Bright Star.” She is the producing artistic director at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY, and her credits include more than a score of productions at various regional theaters.

Serotsky was asked what’s happening when she stops the action during a scene and talks to the actors. “We assure that all know what’s happening (in the scene),” she said, “the reason why you say the words, what’s important.

“It’s a chance to dig deeper (into the characters),” Serotsky said. She noted that It’s important for the actors to know not just the words to say but how to say those words, “the more to bring it to life.”

The first step in rehearsing, Serotsy said, is table work, when the actors sit at a table and read the script. That helps them become familiar with the words and the interplay with one another.

For “A Few Good Men,” she said, they talked with Marine consultants and with Brooke Schmidly of Asheboro, who served as a JAG officer. Those talks help the actors portray the characters in a way that reflects the military.

“We read and research (military life and traditions), but we didn’t live it,” Serotsky said.

“But it’s still theater. We don’t want to lose the story trying to be too realistic. Real life is not always interesting. We want to be interesting.”

Abraham, who plays Col. Nathan Jessep, the Jack Nicholson character, has originated lead roles on Broadway in “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child” and “Life of Pi.” On TV, he’s had roles on “Brooklyn Nine Nine,” “Superpumped,” “Drake and Josh” and his recurring role on “The Young And The Restless.” He is an award-winning audiobook narrator for “The Dark Lord's Daughter.” 

So, how’d he get to Asheboro? Abraham said he was a friend of Serotsky and Jeremy Skidmore, executive director of RhinoLeap Productions. They all attended UNC School of the Arts.

This is Abraham’s first stint with RhinoLeap and he said, “It’s going great. And I get to say the line (made famous by Nicholson in the film). His performance was iconic.”

Asked who were his influences when he was growing up, Abraham mentioned Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. But he said he’s “been acting my whole life and I’ve taught in college.”

How has his time in Asheboro been? “I love being in Asheboro, the nature, the gorgeous city. Everybody has been inviting and welcoming.”

Abraham was asked how putting on a play in a local theater compares with Broadway. “It’s different in size but not the process. The difference is in the scope and scale.”

Beshire said he’s from Charleston, SC, but now lives in Greensboro, where he’s a regular at The Idiot Box Comedy Club. His credits include a TV web series on Amazon Prime called “Gin and Platonic.” He’s also performed in area indie films, including “Artemis,” “Atlas Falling” and a series called “Table Chatter.”

“It’s my first time at RhinoLeap,” Beshire said. “I love that they do films like this. It’s more challenging but the audience is more a part of it.”

Beshire said his first acting was in an elementary school play at the age of 6.

“A Few Good Men” will be held at the Historic Randolph County Courthouse, 145 Worth St., Asheboro, with performances from March 1-23. Tickets can be purchased online at www/rhinoleap.com or in person at Brightside Gallery, 170 Worth St., Asheboro.