An Act of Defiance

We like to see people get busted for doing bad things…especially if they fall into that vein of overbearing and morally compromised characters that house the Colonel Jessups (A Few Good Men) and Alonzos (Training Day) of the fictional world. It’s a desire to see someone who lords over people we can relate to get what’s coming to him. Theatre Three’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s Defiance (you may recognize his name from his awards–Academy, Tony, Drama Desk and Pulitzer Prize for Drama–or from movies Moonstruck and Joe Versus the Volcano) may or may not have that sort of element to it. We don’t want to give too much away, but we will say that when a young black officer is promoted just because of race, you might get a bad taste for the promoting colonel. Then, let’s just say, this young officer discovers some tasty dish on the colonel. Whatever he decides will certainly have consequences, but if you’re like us, you naturally hope the colonel gets his due for putting his unassuming officer through the wringer. Witness Defiance 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh St. (in the Quadrangle). Tickets are $10 to $40. Call 214-871-3300, ext. 1, or visit theatre3dallas.com.

Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Starts: Sept. 4. Continues through Oct. 5, 2008