On Broadway with Al Pacino in the title role, this drama continues the series of "Vietnam Plays" by the author of Sticks and Bones and Streamers. A born loser gets drafted into the Army. Pavlo is not very bright. He gets high, then drag races into a cop car. His fecklessness antagonizes his superiors and gets him beaten by his bunk mates. Pavlo next tries suicide with 100 aspirins, but even at this he is unsuccessful. Oblivious, Pavlo marches to war and meets his ultimate, preordained destiny: death.
The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel premiered at The Public Theatre in May 1971 under the direction of Jeff Bleckner.