Hello Beautiful People,
A TIME TO KILL opened on Broadway at the Golden Theatre on October 20, 2013.
The play, directed by Ethan McSweeny and adapted by for the stage by Rupert Holmes, is based on the best selling novel by John Grisham, A TIME TO KILL. I will go ahead and say that A TIME TO KILL has to be one of my favorite novels of all time. Let the record show that this phenomenal novel was also adapted for the screen in the 1996 film, starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kevin Spacey – and, yes, this happens to be a favorite film of mine as well.
So, needless to say, I was elated when I got wind of the news that this classic story was coming to the Great White Way.
Elated.
To recap just a bit – A TIME TO KILL is the seditious story of a Southern community torn in half by unspeakable crimes followed by a controversial trial in Clanton, Mississippi in the early 1980s. At the heart of this courtroom drama is Carl Lee Hailey (John Douglas Thompson), a black man who shoots and kills the two men that raped his ten-year old daughter. His only chance of not winding up on death row is in the hands of the young attorney, Jake Brigance (Sebastian Arcelus), which sets the stage for controversy, drama, and suspense.
Adapting a critically acclaimed story from the page to the stage is no easy feat, and it is inevitable that comparisons will be drawn; but, I urge you all to shy away from doing so, and instead appreciate this for what it is – a story with great heart and hope, that comes alive on the stage of the Golden Theatre.
As always, I must talk about what I loved. I loved John Douglas Thompson. His portrayal of Carl, for me, was everything that I have ever known the role to be – passionate, worrisome, focused, yet fearful. I have never seen Thompson in anything prior to this, but should he (undoubtedly) grace the stages of New York again, you better believe that you’ll find me at the theater. Tonya Pinkins, who plays Carl Lee Hailey’s wife, Gwen, is captivating – you simply cannot tear your eyes away from her. To experience any performance of Tonya Pinkins is a theaterical gift – and her portrayal of Gwen in A TIME TO KILL does not dissapoint, not even for a second.
Jake Brigance has to be one of my most favorite literary characters ever created. Perhaps I am an idealist, but tell me, when has optimism ever been a bad thing? The critics and audience members clung tight to the idealism and optimism of Brigance in 1980s, and yes, I do believe that those threads are still relevant today. The fight for good to triumph over evil, in my opinion, can never be dated. And so, I did enjoy what Sebastian Arcelus brought to his portrayl of Jake Brigance; he is the quiet and steady pulse of the piece, the one that propels it onward. And as quiet and steady as that pulse may be – Arcelus commanded the stage in his moving and compelling monologues and scenes.
Special attention must be paid to the scenic, projection, and lighting designers, James Noone, Jeff Sugg, and Jeff Croiter. I must say, I was intrigued as to how they were going to pull it off. The story has several different locations – houses, bars, the courthouse, the jailhouse, the courtroom itself – recreating all of that would keep every stagehand occupied until next year! The courtroom becomes the main focus of the set – and I did enjoy the use of the turntable – but the combination of the video projections and lighting design was spectacular. Video projection can be a tricky thing – too much or too little can read as cheesy, especially in a show like A TIME TO KILL, but Sugg’s design coupled with that of Crotier and Noone is absolutely flawless.
In the playwright’s note, Rupert Holmes states that his goal was to create “a new work for theatre that could stand proudly and independently (or right alongside) John Grisham’s classic novel.” For me, his achieved his goal. When I first read this book, it was a story that stuck with me. When I first saw the movie, it was a film that stuck with me; and yes, this story still resonates with me, even when its on the stage.
I would encourage lovers of art, theater, and John Grisham to see this show should they have the opportunity.
To my fellow educators – to bring your students to see this show. It’s the perfect blend of literature, film, and those lovely Common Core mandates that we all are getting to know quite well.
Live, Love, Learn,