Review: NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH at Castle Craig Players

On Saturday, October 14th, I had the pleasure of attending an outstanding immersive stage production put on by the Castle Craig Players at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT.  NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH is a three act courtroom drama by Ayn Rand, set in 1933, the set being a courtroom up on stage, prosecution on stage left, defense on stage right, judge in the back of center stage, with the witnesses being questioned while sitting on a chair, facing the audience, in front of the judge.   

Director Pamela Amodio helps bring out the best in this phenomenal ensemble cast who all appear to be greatly enjoying their roles!  The case involves a young woman named Karen Andre who is standing trial, being accused of the alleged murder of her former lover and boss, Bjorn Faulkner.  This show entertains and engages the audience while challenging us to process all the information presented, as we search for holes and discrepancies in the testimonies to arrive at the verdict of guilty or not guilty.  The voir dire process of the jury is simply that if you buy a ticket and attend the show (which I highly recommend), then you qualify as a juror!

Actors Michael Paris and Art Canova thrive in their respective roles of the prosecuting district attorney and the defense attorney.  Both actors are very convincing in their quick and brilliant responses and lines of questioning.  To properly understand the American judicial process in criminal trials, one must realize that it is not for the jury to decide which attorney presents a better case or has more likeable or even believable witnesses.  Rather, the verdict rendered must be based on whether the prosecuting attorney and testifying witnesses have presented a strong enough case to beyond reasonable doubt convict Karen Andre of the murder of Bjorn Faulkner. 

Fascinatingly, the Fifth Amendment does not come into play at any point during this trial, even though some of the witnesses should definitely have used it, given the felony nature of some of what they were willing to admit to during the trial.

The courtroom also consists of Judge Heath and the bailiff, both of whom display professionalism and decorum at all times.  Bret Olson convincing performs Judge Heath, while a platoon of Nick Demitriadas and Mark Laucella play the role of the bailiff, the important role that breaks the fourth wall to ask each table in the audience for their verdict. 

Carolyn Doherty is wonderful in the role of Karen Andre.  Whether one believes the testimony of Karen Andre or not, there is no doubt that Carolyn Doherty excels in this role, as she makes the character comes across exactly as intended, with feeling and emotion appropriate to how Karen is feeling, or at least to how Karen wants to convince the jury she is feeling.   

The witnesses for the prosecution are all brilliantly performed!  Diane Warner-Canova is convincing in the role of Dr. Kirkland, the conductor of the autopsy.  Dawn Maselli and Gina Marie Davies have spot-on accents and mannerisms in their roles as other employees of Bjorn Faulkner.   Jacob Gannon successfully conveys the slickness and questionable agenda of Homer Van Fleet, the private investigator.   Ethan Timothy has the entire audience laughing in his brilliant comedic portrayal of a deliberately quirky police officer.  Gayle Barrett successfully provides the audience with even more to ponder in her strong portrayal of Bjorn Faulkner’s wife Nancy Lee, while Len Fredericks helps increase the mystery with his convincing portrayal of John Graham Whitfield, the wealthy father-in-law of Bjorn Faulkner.  Zoey Roland shines in her role of Roberta Van Rensselaer, a rebuttal witness for the prosecution.

The witnesses for the defense are also brilliantly performed!   John Garvey is convincing in his portrayal of another employee of Bjorn Faulkner’s, one who saw him differently from the way some of his other employees viewed him.  Beth Goodwin makes her first of what will hopefully be many theatrical appearances, shining in the role of Jane Chandler, an expert at analyzing handwriting.  It would be too much of a spoiler to provide details of James Hyland’s character, but James Hyland is amazing in the role!

There is much more I would like to say about this first-rate production, but I want to be sure that I present this review in such a way that does not reveal any case-specific analysis or opinions that would create a mistrial by swaying or biasing any future juries. 

I highly recommend NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH which is scheduled to continue to run through October 29, 2023.  This is a rare chance to potentially change the outcome of a story, by being part of the audience, an opportunity well worth it!  For times and tickets, please go to the link below.

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