In Ayn Rand's taut, quick-paced 1934 courtroom drama "Night of January 16th," the theatergoer assumes the role of juror and decides, along with everyone else in the audience, the collective verdict that closes the play.
It's a gimmick that works especially well and adds a dash of lightweight fun to the already enjoyable proceedings.
At Castle Craig Players, an intimate, immersive venue where Rand's three-act play is being revived to thrilling satisfaction, the bailiff takes center stage five minutes before the play's conclusion to ask each table - (the venue offers patrons a cabaret style setting) - to submit of verdict of "guilty" or "not guilty" much to everyone's delight. Once the votes are collected and tallied up, "Night of January 16th" resumes, the verdict is read, and the production draws to a close.
As written by Rand, Karen Andre, a former secretary and lover of successful business mogul Bjorn Faulkner stands trials for the murder of her crooked boyfriend. She, of course, claims that she is innocent. But evidence suggests that during the night of the murder, Faulkner's body was thrown to his death from his penthouse balcony.
If she didn't do it, who did?
Is she lying? Is she telling the truth?
Was it a set up?
Is Faulkner still alive?
If so, whose body ended up smashed and bloodied on the pavement below?
According to the medical examiner, the body of Faulkner was so damaged by the fall, it was impossible to tell if he was killed by the impact of the fall or he was already dead.
Drawing inspiration from the real-life death of Swedish financier and industrialist Ivar Kreuger (his body was found dead in his Paris bedroom flat and years later, it was discovered that he didn't commit suicide but was murdered) and the 1927 melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan" (a showgirl is prosecuted for the death of her wealthy lover), Rand concocts a thrilling cast-and-mouse game of courtroom theatrics that give "Night of January 16th" its weight, its push and pull, its dynamic and its edgy, shrewd impression and concept.
The drama of the courtroom, the testimonies, the exchanges, the lies, the tension, the truths, the betrayal and the humor are effectively rendered, performed and executed in Castle Craig's superior mounting of "Night of January 16th," which kicks off the venue's official 2023-2024 season.
Smooth, mobile and intelligently fluid, "Night of January 16th" is a fun, crackerjack entertainment with polished wit, climactic sweep, significant temperament, and engaging stop-smart melodrama.
It gets you thinking.
It gets you excited.
It moves.
It tilts.
It taunts and delights.
It surprises.
The grand payoff comes from putting Pamela Amodio in the director's chair. With a trunk load of acting and directing credits to boot including "California Suite," "The Vagina Monologues," "Doubt," "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," "Steel Magnolias" and "Lend Me a Tenor," she weaves together a smooth, confident, fully alive work that heightens the real drama and humor of the piece, its arguments, its etymology of words, its power plays, its grandstanding, its rooted influences, its common sense, its reasonable doubts and its salacious unpicking of evidence.
Directorially, Rand's playscript is shaped wonderfully and intuitively by Amodio with close attention paid to the ongoing narrative, the characters, the courtroom setting (smartly designed by Mark Laucella), the dialogue, the interactions and the play-by-play evolvement of the story. There is real dedication here, backed by a real understanding and knowledge of how a scene should be played, how it should be developed, how it should be acted and how it moves the action forward.
Here, as in other productions she has directed including "California Suite" at Castle Craig, Amodio's attention to detail, stage movement and positioning, is conveyed with relaxed, important brush strokes and colors that heighten the dramatic momentum of individual scenes and how they are implemented by the actors themselves. Not one to go the paint-by-numbers route when directing, Amodio, in turn, enriches the material with in-the-moment, natural engagement, probing, rallying and investment that ripens the performance, the storytelling and the connection between actor and audience.
"Night of January 16th" stars Michael Paris as District Attorney Flint, Art Canova as Defense Attorney Stevens, Carolyn Doherty as Karen Andre, Bret Olsen as Judge Heath, Nick Demetriades as Baillif, Gayle Barrett as Nancy Lee Faulkner, Len Fredericks as John Graham Whitfield, Dawn Maselli as Mrs. Sportelli, Beth Goodwin as Jane Chandler, Gina Marie Davis as Magda Svenson, Beth Goodwin as Jane Chandler, James Hyland as Larry "Guts" Regan, John Garvey as Siegurd Jungquist, Jacob Gannon as Homer Van Fleet, Ethan Timothy as Elmer Sweeney, Zoe Roland as Roberta Van Rensselaer and Diane Warner-Canova as Dr. Kirkland.
The cast, all well-chosen by Amodio, bring plenty of real emotion, twist, excitement and atmospheric sting to Rand's powerhouse courtroom drama, which, in turn, elevates the play's footing, attitude, shock, surprise and trickling eleventh hour revelations. Working together as a confident, primed and able ensemble, they deep dive into "Night of January 16th" with a committed trust and confidence (a five-star performance by Dawn Maselli rises to the top of the leaderboard) that complements the drama, its tension, its feel and its evolution. They also bring a natural, relaxed exuberance to the piece that prompts an immediate, immersive grasp between actor and audience.
Whodunnit?
The play's two jousting attorney's think they have the answer.
Was it murder? Was it suicide? Was it a ruse?
Ladies and gentlemen of the audience - rise and cast your vote.
My verdict: "Not guilty."
Photos of "Night of January 16th" courtesy of Kevin McNair
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