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| Mike Traylor, Matt Madonna, Max Cano, Bill Chameides, and Sydney Davis Photo by Christopher Haines |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 3rd.
"On May 17, 1968, nine Catholic activists, including Father Daniel Berrigan, took 378 files from a draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned them in the office's parking lot using a homemade version of napalm to protest American involvement in Vietnam. The subsequent court trial for these individuals, dubbed "the Catonsville Nine," is the basis for Berrigan's play The Trial of the Catonsville Nine. While the passion of the activists is clearly present in the script and also in the actors' portrayals of the nine in iTheatre Collaborative's well-directed production, the play itself doesn't really deliver anything riveting in the way of a plot, and much of the testimony has a sameness to it that borders, somewhat, on boring sermon. However, if you approach the drama as an interesting history lesson and a way to better understand the motivations of the nine individuals, or even as a chilling reminder that it seems we are still dealing with many of the same issues today that were present fifty years ago, you'll most likely get more out of the piece than if you're looking for an intriguing court room drama. Berrigan based his play on the actual trial transcripts. He manages to weave the testimony into a forward-moving narrative, though, with nine individuals recounting their slightly similar backstories in detail, it does get repetitive. Fortunately, it makes for a humbling lesson in the facts of the case as well as giving an elegant voice to all nine of the activists to show what events were the catalyst for their involvement in the burning of the draft files. ...Charles St. Clair's direction does well to ensure the actors draw you into their stories to hold your attention. ...There isn't a weak link in the cast. Bill Chameides' portrayal of Daniel Berrigan is filled with passion and conviction, while there is a pure sense of dignity in Glenn Parker's performance of Daniels' brother Philip Berrigan. ...The Catonsville Nine were clearly passionate people and the play itself, while a bit uneven and repetitive, is still interesting even though it also unfortunately shows just how we are still taking a stand and protesting for racial injustice and other causes that we are passionate about just like the Catonsville Nine did 50 years ago,........ " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
"...Daniel Berrigan's THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE NINE recounts the adjudication in October 1968 of the charges against him, his brother Philip, and seven kindred activists for burning 378 draft cards outside the office of the Selective Service System in Catonsville, Maryland....The playwright exercises license by giving free rein to his cohorts, despite frequent protestations from the bench and the prosecution, to explain the context for their spiritual and conscientious journey to resistance. ...Directed by Charles St. Clair, the mood is set with emotion-laden and haunting recalls of the '60's. ..designed to arouse contemplation and to challenge our sensibilities and sensitivities. It is a work of intellect, written by a man of the Word with a poetic talent. In service to its message, the cast of this production has ably and forcefully delivered the Goods...." - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)
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