Not to be confused with the novel The Execution of Justice.
Execution of Justice
Written by
Emily Mann
Chorus
Uncalled Witnesses
Characters
See text
Date premiered
May 10, 1985 (1985-05-10)
Place premiered
Arena Stage
Subject
Moscone–Milk assassinations
Genre
Docudrama
History[1]
Setting
San Francisco, 1978
Execution of Justice is an ensemble play by Emily Mann chronicling the case of Dan White,[2] who assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk in November 1978. The play was originally commissioned by the Eureka Theatre Company, but premiered at Arena Stage on May 10, 1985.[3]
In the play, the trial itself is on trial in the court of theater, and is found guilty of a miscarriage of justice. In the actual trial, White was convicted only of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, rather than two counts of first-degree murder; he was sentenced to less than eight years in prison. The dialogue mentions the urban legend[4][5] that White's defense strategy was primarily the so-called "Twinkie defense"—painting his junk food consumption as a significant factor in his capacity for murder.
The play's Broadway premiere was on March 13, 1986. John Spencer played the role of Dan White. Also among the cast were Wesley Snipes, Stanley Tucci, Mary McDonnell, and Earle Hyman. The set was designed by Ming Cho Lee, costumes by Jennifer von Mayrhauser, lighting by Pat Collins.[6][7]
Execution of Justice won the HBO New Plays USA award, the Helen Hayes Award, the Bay Area Critics Circle Award. It was nominated for a Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award. In 1999, Showtime Networks aired a film adaptation of the play, directed by Leon Ichaso and adapted by screenwriter Michael Butler. In 2000, the film won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series.[8]
^"Execution of Justice". SamuelFrench.com. Samuel French. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
^Execution of Justice. Samuel French, Inc. 1986. ISBN 9780573690020. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
^"1984–1985 Season". ArenaStage.org. Arena Stage. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
^Pogash, Carol (November 23, 2003). "Myth of the 'Twinkie defense': The verdict in the Dan White case wasn't based on his ingestion of junk food". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
^"The Twinkie Defense". Snopes. October 30, 1999.
^Gussow, Mel (March 14, 1986). "Stage: Emily Mann's Execution of Justice". The New York Times.
^"Execution of Justice". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
^Kim, Ellen A. (August 22, 2001). "2000 GLAAD Media Awards". Hollywood.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
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