THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411190412
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FRANKLIN LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
See ``Night of January 16th'' tonight - it's your last opportunity.
If you haven't tired of courtroom histrionics - the real stuff - you will enjoy the Franklin Little Theatre production - close to the real stuff.
This drama has been making the rounds of theater groups across the country for several decades and holds up well when done well.
The Franklin folk do quite well.
The courtroom set - and a convincing one it is - is filled with a host of witnesses, each a fairly fascinating character, each of whom comes out of the audience onto the witness stand.
One of the witnesses is the accused - not a typical courtroom situation, although it does happen.
Presiding over the legal to-do is Judge Nita Heath, portrayed by lawyer Inga Francis.
The combatants are Kevin Tuck as District Attorney Flint and Beth Briggs as defense attorney Stevens.
She comes with an arm in a sling - from a pre-show accident - but it does not deter her from giving her all in defense of her client.
Tuck works passionately for the people of New York State who have charged Karen Andre with the murder of Bjorn Faulkner, her wealthy but married boyfriend.
Guilty or not guilty is a matter for the jury - 12 men and women who come to see a play and wind up being selected from the audience.
After all the witnesses have their say, the jurors make up their minds in about two minutes. Not bad, considering the complexities of the case.
Thursday's opening-night audience and Wednesday's preview audience freed Miss Andre. What will happen tonight? Go see. For that matter, the decision might be in your hands.
No one knows how many times she has been found guilty or innocent over the years. This reviewer, who portrayed the defense attorney about 30 years ago, lost two out of three.
Trying to keep the sometimes-too-talky courtroom drama moving can itself be trying, but director Bill Hiltner has avoided the lulls.
The mix of witnesses helps maintain the interest, although Judge Heath would do well to admonish some to speak louder so the entire courtroom can hear.
Most are attention-getters, many heavily accented.
Standouts are Franklin stage vet and Swedish-accented Cathy Eischeid as Magda Svenson, Southern-accented Susan Pappin as Dr. Kirkland, Brooklyn-accented Pam Taylor as Roberta Van Rennsselaer and Marlon Brando-accented Lawrence Mallol as Larry Regan.
They help make ``Night of January 16th'' a good combination of fun, love and, of course, murder. by CNB