Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey were accused of the murder of a fellow Guantanamo Bay cadet, Pfc. William Santiago.

And they didn’t deny it. As they stood under the spotlight, declaring their accusations and rights on Stewart Theatre’s stage, they didn’t flinch.

They were resilient.

But they weren’t the only ones. The entire cast of A Few Good Men proved to be energetic, humorous and true to their roles.

Especially Curt Kirkhoff, who played Lt. Colonel Nathan Jessup — a short-tempered, abrupt and harrowing base commander. Kirkhoff’s rendition of the character was both riveting and realistic. If he had walked out of the theatre and taken a stroll down Hillsborough Street, it wouldn’t be too surprising if those he passed by saluted.

That’s not, however, to say the rest of the cast performed poorly.

It was quite the opposite. Steven Rausch, torn between his role as a man or a Marine, compellingly brought to light the emotional turmoil resulting from his actions — a true accomplishment, since the plotline, delivered slowly and dramatically, didn’t let on to either his character’s or Downey’s guilt or innocence.

The battle was not decided by whether the defendants’ actions were legal or illegal, innocenct or guilty; it was a battle of whether they were truly at fault for murder or just following orders — a duty of utmost importance in the Marines.

Each actor, whether playing a minor or major role, performed his or her role convincingly, took on a military persona and faithfully delivered the lines Aaron Sorkin wrote for the 1989 broadway production, which were later projected on the silver screen.

Meisha C. Gourley, as Lt. Cmdr. Joanna Galloway, portrayed an endearingly hot-headed defense lawyer who seemed to be the only one interested in the defendants’ case, and G. Scott Heath’s character Lt. Daniel Kaffee progressed to a very genuine, almost heartwarming lawyer. And even though he played the bad guy, L. Adam Rogers’ performance as Lt. Johnathan Kendrick was impressive, driven and, most importantly, real.

From the first scene to the last, the play flowed smoothly, the entire cast engagingly furnishing his or her talents to the stage.