Execution of Justice
Encyclopedia
Execution of Justice is an award-winning ensemble
play by Emily Mann
chronicling the case of the People vs. Dan White
. White assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone
and openly gay
city supervisor Harvey Milk
in November 1978. The play was originally commissioned by the Eureka Theater Company and had an early production by Arena Stage
in their 1984/1985 season.
It opened on Broadway on March 13, 1986 with John Spencer
playing Dan White and a cast that included Wesley Snipes
, Stanley Tucci
, Mary McDonnell
, and Earle Hyman
.
In the play the trial itself is on trial in the court of theater and is found guilty of a miscarriage of justice parallelling the actual case which resulted in White being convicted of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter
, rather than two counts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to less than eight years. The play references the urban legend
that White's defense strategy was primarily the so-called "Twinkie defense
" -- painting his junk food
consumption as a significant or even in some versions the sole cause of his actions.
The highly emotional play combines live stage action, videos, taped voices and music including a video camera on stage projecting its image onto large screens throughout the performance which uses the drag nun Sister Boom Boom, an AIDS activist, (played in the original production by Wesley Snipes
) as a voice of consciousness representing human rights for all marginalized groups, not just gays. The play was nominated for four Drama Desk Awards; Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Sound Design/Music in a Play, Outstanding Set Design and won for Outstanding Lighting Design by Pat Collins.
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
play by Emily Mann
Emily Mann (director)
Emily Mann, born April 12, 1952, is the multi-award–winning Artistic Director and Resident Playwright of McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, where she has overseen over 85 productions....
chronicling the case of the People vs. Dan White
Dan White
Daniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
. White assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone
George Moscone
George Richard Moscone was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California, US from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Moscone served in the California State Senate from 1967 until becoming Mayor. In the Senate, he served as...
and openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
city supervisor Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
in November 1978. The play was originally commissioned by the Eureka Theater Company and had an early production by Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
in their 1984/1985 season.
It opened on Broadway on March 13, 1986 with John Spencer
John Spencer (actor)
John Spencer was an American film and television actor. He was most widely known for playing White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2002.-Early life:Spencer was born as John Speshock, Jr. in New York City, and...
playing Dan White and a cast that included Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
, Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
, Mary McDonnell
Mary McDonnell
Mary Eileen McDonnell is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Stands With A Fist in Dances with Wolves, and she is also very well known for her performance as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, the President's wife...
, and Earle Hyman
Earle Hyman
Earle Hyman is an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his recurring role on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable.-Career:...
.
In the play the trial itself is on trial in the court of theater and is found guilty of a miscarriage of justice parallelling the actual case which resulted in White being convicted of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter
Voluntary Manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender had no prior intent to kill and acted during "the heat of passion," under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed. In the Uniform Crime Reports prepared by the...
, rather than two counts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to less than eight years. The play references the urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that White's defense strategy was primarily the so-called "Twinkie defense
Twinkie defense
"Twinkie defense" is a derisive label for an improbable legal defense. It is not a recognized legal defense in jurisprudence, but a catchall term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk and mayor...
" -- painting his junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
consumption as a significant or even in some versions the sole cause of his actions.
The highly emotional play combines live stage action, videos, taped voices and music including a video camera on stage projecting its image onto large screens throughout the performance which uses the drag nun Sister Boom Boom, an AIDS activist, (played in the original production by Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
) as a voice of consciousness representing human rights for all marginalized groups, not just gays. The play was nominated for four Drama Desk Awards; Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Sound Design/Music in a Play, Outstanding Set Design and won for Outstanding Lighting Design by Pat Collins.