Staff Report
Performances of the courtroom drama "Execution of Justice" continue this weekend at Baylor School.
The award-winning play chronicles the 1978 murders of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first avowed homosexual to hold high public office in that city. Their killer, Dan White, was convicted on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, rather than murder, and sentenced to less than eight years in prison. He was released after serving a little more than five years. His trial polarized the city, and the controversial verdict led to the coining of the legal slang "Twinkie defense."
Playwright Emily Mann describes the work as a docudrama. The production features photos and videos from the period, and her script is based on trial transcripts and interviews.
Following its Broadway premiere in 1986, a New York Times review called the play "a thought-provoking evening that is scrupulous in its quest for objectivity" and a "judicious assessment of a turbulent episode in ... American political history."
The Baylor Players production features a cast of 35 students and 20 technical crew members. Schaack Van Deusen is directing.
IF YOU GO
* What: "Execution of Justice."
* When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday.
* Where: Roddy Theatre, Baylor School, 171 Baylor School Road.
* Admission: $3 adults, $2 students.
* Phone: 267-8505, ext. 276.
* Website: www.baylorschool.org.