Murder in the First 59E59 Theater A Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited 09 June 2012
In this corner (downstage right): the Accused. In the opposite corner (downstage left): the Advocate. Refereeing the fight (upstage center): Justice. One would assume justice would prevail in any serious altercation, whether in the ring or in the courtroom. Not so for Willie Moore (Chad Kimball) an Alcatraz prisoner who is facing the death penalty for murdering a fellow inmate and has spent three years in solitary confinement.
Although his public defender Henry Davidson (Guy Burnet) eventually gets Willie’s first degree murder charge reduced to involuntary manslaughter, Willie is returned to Alcatraz and to solitary confinement where he commits suicide. Willie did not want this reduced sentence; he wants to plead guilty to murder in the first and receive the death penalty so he will not have to go back to Alcatraz. He knows Milton Glenn (Jim Lorenzo) will have him beaten again. Near the end of his trial, Willie admits he would rather be executed than go back to Alcatraz.
Knowing Willie’s fears, why does Henry fight so hard to have Willie’s sentence reduced? Perhaps he wants notoriety: he wants to wins his first case: a courtroom victory against a formidable foe like the State of California. Perhaps he wants to win back his former fiancée Mary McCasslin (Larisa Polonsky). Henry, however, desires much more than this.
Henry wants the injustices of Alcatraz to end. He wants justice for Willie and all prisoners who find themselves abused within the penal system. It is perhaps this goal that keeps Henry from seeing reality. Despite having given Willie courage to face his return to Alcatraz, despite knowing it might be impossible to have Willie transferred to a safer prison, despite doing what he believes to be best for his client, Henry ultimately knows Willie will die.
Henry sacrifices Willie for the better good of exposing the horrors behind the walls of Alcatraz. This sacrifice is salvific and Willie knows he is being sacrificed for a cause greater than the reduction of his sentence. When Willie says, “[He] ain’t goin’ nowhere,” he means he knows he will not survive a return to Alcatraz.
This Christological allusion is what gives “Murder in the First” its real power. Playwright Dan Gordon has created an extended metaphor of what it means to have something to believe in and what it means to be willing to do whatever is necessary to hold to that belief. Henry believes in justice. Willie believes in the importance of living without fear despite the cost. Willie’s march into the hell of Alcatraz challenges the audience members to identify their own important causes and confront their own debilitating fears.
Despite its unevenness, the cast of “Murder in the First” delivers its message of redemption in a compelling way. Chad Kimball as Willie brings the stage to life whether he is speaking or whether he is silently sitting in his cell. Joseph Adams’ Houlihan is the best and the worst of print and broadcast media portraying a reporter trying to promote a cause as he promotes himself in the process. Guy Burnet (Henry) literally glows in his scenes with Chad Kimball. Burnet is at his best when Kimball teases Henry to the surface. Director Michael Parva brings his team to creative climaxes throughout the performance. The sparks would fly more intensely if the performances were more even and all reached the caliber of Messrs. Kimball, Adams, and Burnet.
“Murder in the First” is compelling theatre worth seeing. It is ultimately about what it means to be redeemed and what it means to be a redeemer: something, perhaps, worth knowing in an unjust and punitive world.
MURDER IN THE FIRST is at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues). It is produced by The Directors Company, in association with Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, and Invictus Theater Company.
MURDER IN THE FIRST began performances on Friday, May 25 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 1. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:00 PM; Friday at 8:00 PM; Saturday at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; and Sunday at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Please note, there is no 7:00 PM performance on Sunday, July 1. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $60 ($42 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, June 9, 2012
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