Execution of Justice at Southwark Playhouse

Execution of Justice at Southwark Playhouse

16 January, 2012
by: Naima Khan

Sometimes a verbatim play needs more than words.

Of all the voices that make up Emily Mann's 1984 play, Execution of Justice, the one most significantly missing is that of the conscientious conservative. Her verbatim play weaves together transcripts from the trial of murder suspect Dan White and testamonies from the public during the courtroom drama that saw White charged with voluntary manslaughter after shooting the first openly gay elected politician, Harvey Milk, and Mayor George Moscone in San Fransisco. But the play is circumspect in its depiction of the conservative population of the city and, as in most verbatim plays, we hear a sometimes indistinguishable cacophony of voices.

It's nice that in Joss Bennathan's production the relevance of Moscone's death is highlighted as much as Milk's in a play that could easily be a depiction of Milk as a martyr. But this show does more than that. In flurries of partying and politics that are intensely overwhelming, Bennathan captures the heady confusion and divisive tension of the times. The potential for change centres on both Milk and Moscone being in office and makes White's actions that much more chilling. But true to its title, the play doesn't so much put him on trial as it does hold the process of executing justice to account.

Still, this production misses some tricks – as with most verbatim plays, there are too many words, where something visual would be more effective. We hear about the 'Free Dan White' t-shirts worn by some members of the police but we never see one, we see re-enactments of news broadcasts where real footage, or even mock footage would be more stirring. And it still leaves us with the question of the Dan White supporters who surely wavered after the shootings. Their voice, which you assume would be one of confusion or shame, is neglected.

This call for social justice and, in the words of the recurring Sister Boom Boom, “love, understanding and forgiveness” is appropriately moving, but this new production of Execution of Justice misses a chance to make a timely statement about the nature of deep-seated social perceptions, polemic divides, and floating political values.

Execution of Justice runs at Southwark Playhouse until 4th February 2012.

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Naima Khan