''Execution of Justice'' is an ensemble play by Emily Mann chronicling the case of

Dan White Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall. White was convicted of manslaugh ...

, who assassinated

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

mayor

George Moscone George Richard Moscone (; November 24, 1929 – November 27, 1978) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. He was known ...

and openly gay city supervisor

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

in November 1978. The play was originally commissioned by the Eureka Theatre Company, but premiered at

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

on May 10, 1985. In the play, the trial itself is on trial in the court of theater, and is found guilty of a

miscarriage of justice A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...

. In the actual trial, White was convicted only of a lesser charge of

voluntary manslaughter Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender acted during ''the heat of passion'', under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed to the point that they canno ...

, rather than two counts of

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

; he was sentenced to less than eight years in prison. The dialogue mentions the

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

that White's defense strategy was primarily the so-called "

Twinkie defense "Twinkie defense" is a derisive label for an improbable legal defense. It is not a recognized legal defense in jurisprudence, but a catch-all term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders ...

"—painting his

junk food "Junk food" is a term used to describe food that is high in calories from sugar and/or fat, and possibly also sodium, but with little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, or other important forms of nutritional value. It is also known ...

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 Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His prominent film roles include '' Major League'' (1989), '' New Jack City'' (1991), ''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992), '' Passenger 57'' (1992), '' ...

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor and filmmaker. Involved in acting from a young age, he made his film debut in John Huston's ''Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), and continued to play a variety of supporting roles in film ...

, Mary McDonnell, and Earle Hyman. The set was designed by Ming Cho Lee, costumes by Jennifer von Mayrhauser, lighting by Pat Collins. ''Execution of Justice'' won the HBO New Plays USA award, the

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

, the

Bay Area Critics Circle Award A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with ...

. It was nominated for a Drama Desk and

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

. In 1999,

Showtime Networks Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks unit. ...

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.

Summary

The play is set in the US city of

in the year 1978. The set is a bare stage with at least one white screen overhead. To the live performance on-stage, it adds video, prerecorded voices, and music. Throughout the performance, the feed from a video camera pointed at the stage is projected onto large screens. The drag nun, an AIDS activist called

Sister Boom Boom Sister Boom Boom, also known as Sister Mary Boom Boom, was the drag nun persona of astrologer Jack Fertig (February 21, 1955 – August 5, 2012). He was a prominent member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a gay activist group founded in S ...

, is the voice of conscience who represents

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

for all marginalized groups. The dialogue is based on trial transcripts, reportage, and interviews.

Act I: Murder

This act is beginning the trial of Daniel James White, who has assassinated Harvey Milk, the Supervisor of the City and County of San Francisco, California, and George R. Moscone, the Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, California. The Prosecution and Defense choose a jury, and then present the facts of what has occurred, such as White resigning from his position as the Supervisor of District 8 of San Francisco, and the discussion of his intent to possibly withdraw that resignation. They discuss White's background, where he grew up in San Francisco, served in Vietnam, and was a police officer and fireman in San Francisco. They then discuss the wounds of the victims, and question the witnesses to the shooting of Milk and Moscone. White explains his side of the story, and the end of the act is Dan White, his wife Mary Ann, and the Jurors sobbing. Court then takes a recess.

Act II: In Defense of Murder

This begins with the Prosecution questioning Falzon and his relationship to Dan White. Then the Defense brings in Freitas, Sherrant, and Frediani, to discuss his character and their relationships with him in the past. Then there is a psychiatric defense, and then questioning of his wife, Mary Ann, and her perspective. After all final statements and deliberation of the jury, the court announces Mr. White is sentenced to seven years and eight months, the maximum sentence for two counts of voluntary manslaughter. In the last line of the play, Dan White says: "I was always just a lonely vote on the board. I was just trying to do a good job for the city".

Characters

;Main characters :*Dan White (man on trial for murder of George R. Moscone and Harvey Milk) :*Mary Ann White (wife of Dan White) :*Cop :*Sister Boom Boom (Nun in Drag) ;Chorus of Uncalled Witnesses :*Jim Denman (White's Jailer) :*Young Mother :*Milk's Friend :*Gwenn Craig (Vice President of Harvey Milk Democratic Club) :*Harry Britt (City Supervisor) :*Joseph Freitas (D.A.) :*Mourner ;Trial Characters :*The Court :*Court Clerk :*Douglas Schmidt (Defense Attorney) :*Thomas F. Norman (Prosecuting Attorney) :*Joanna Lu (TV Reporter) :*Prospective Jurors :*Juror #3/Foreman Bailiff ;Witnesses for the People :*Coroner Stephens :*Rudy Nothenberg (Deputy Mayor, Moscone's Friend) :*Barabara Taylor (Reporter) :*Officer Byrne (Department of Records) :*William Melia (Civil Engineer) :*Cyr Copertini (Secretary to Mayor) :*Carl Henry Carlson (Aide to Harvey Milk) :*Richard Pabich (Assistant to Harvey Milk) :*Frank Falzon (Inspector, Homicide) :*Edward Erdelatz (Inspector) ;Witnesses for the Defense :*Denise Apcar (Aide to White) :*Sherratt (Fire Chief) :*Frediani (Fireman) :*Sullivan (Police Officer) :*Lee Dolson (City Supervisor) ;Psychiatrists :*Dr. Jones :*Dr. Solomon :*Dr. Blinder :*Dr. Lunde :*Dr. Delman ;In Rebuttal for the People :*Carol Ruth Silver (City Supervisor) :*Dr. Levy (Psychiatrist) :*Riot Police :*Action Cameraman

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Execution Of Justice American LGBT-related television films LGBT-related plays 1985 plays Harvey Milk Gay-related films Films set in San Francisco Fiction set in 1978 American films based on plays American plays adapted into films 1999 television films 1999 films 1990s American films