Burning Crosses and Rotating Justice

By RAVEN SNOOK

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A compelling legal drama usually invites viewers to consider a case from multiple perspectives, and in A Time to Kill, Tony Award-winner Rupert Holmes’ adaptation of John Grisham’s lauded debut novel of the same name, the audience sees the case in question from every angle—literally.

Set in Mississippi in the 1980s, the morally complex tale concerns Carl Lee Hailey, an African-American father who killed his young daughter’s white rapists. While the defendant is seemingly guilty in the eyes of the law, his plight stirs up a wide range of reactions and emotions, both in his community and in his white defense attorney, Jake Brigance. Those responses are underscored by scenic designer James Noone’s clever turntable set, which rotates throughout the two-act play. Every time the action returns to the courtroom, the players are physically in different places. It’s so subtle you may not even notice it consciously at first, but this sly bit of staging emphasizes the play’s point. Justice isn’t always clear-cut, and as we learn more about a situation, our moral position might change.

McSweeny adds, “We put a lot of creative energy and, frankly, resources behind trying to make sure we could bring that [burning cross] effect to life. But it was important. There’s something about fire. It consumes and also purifies. For me, the play itself is like that.”

Though Grisham’s novel was adapted into a hit 1996 movie, it’s interesting that neither Noone nor McSweeny has ever seen it. “I think my main qualification when I first took on this project was that I hadn’t seen the movie or read the book,” McSweeny jokes. “Because movies are so visual, I’ve been pretty careful about what I allow into my visual influence.” But that moratorium may soon be lifted. “I’ve seen parts of it on late-night TV,” he admits. “And I’d be fine to watch the whole thing now because at this point I’ve made all of my decisions!”

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Raven Snook writes about theatre for Time Out New York and has contributed arts and entertainment articles to The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide, and others.

Photo by Carol Rosegg