John Grisham’s novel “A Time To Kill” is a brilliant legal thriller, so it stands to reason that a well-done dramatization would be equally brilliant, equally thrilling. Rupert Holmes’ adaptation, at Arena Stage, doesn’t disappoint. A courtroom drama set in Mississippi in the mid-1980s, “A Time To Kill” captures all the racial tension of the deep South in general and Mississippi in particular. It tells the story of a young lawyer, Jake Brigance (Sebastian Arcelus), who defends a black man, Carl Lee Hailey (Dion Graham), who has killed two men who raped his daughter.
As the play documents Brigance’s preparation for the trial, it also follows the relationship that develops between Brigance and Hailey, a relationship that begins with wary mistrust on Hailey’s part but ends in friendship after Brigance proves repeatedly that he is taking the case because he truly believes he can gain Hailey’s release.
| Onstage |
| ‘A Time to Kill’ |
| Where: Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sundays, noon June 1; through June 19 |
| Info: Tickets start at $55; 202-488-3300; arenastage.org |
The cast for “A Time To Kill” is large, but under Ethan McSweeny’s smooth direction, it works as a tightly knit ensemble. Arcelus is well-cast as Brigance, an unflappable, smart young man whose good humor and easygoing manner belie his intelligence. Graham is superb in a difficult role, playing a man who is full of barely suppressed rage, which he is not allowed to display.
Brennan Brown plays the D.A. of Polk County, an oily, untrustworthy grandstander. Ellen Roark, who talks herself into a job with Brigance, is neatly portrayed by Rosie Benton as a savvy young woman as interested in Brigance as she is in his case.
John C. Vennema plays Lucien Wilbanks, Jake’s unorthodox mentor, as a relaxed, retired lawyer, who has given up the law for Hawaiian shirts and a ponytail. As Judge Omar Noose, who tries the case, Evan Thompson is a refreshing mix of legal knowledge and down-home humor.
McSweeny has a good ear for dialogue and keeps the pace of the play moving rapidly, allowing all the twists of Holmes’ plot to surface powerfully. There are many events in the novel (such as the murder of the rapists, the Ku Klux Klan putting a burning cross on Brigance’s lawn, the burning of Brigance’s house) that cannot be reproduced onstage.
But York Kennedy and Lindsay Jones have solved that problem with their creative lighting and sound designs. James Noone’s set pictures a courthouse with many windows and uses a turntable to excellent effect, allowing the audience to see a courtroom from different angles, including the jury box.
There are plenty of intellectual challenges in “A Time To Kill,” regarding the nature of the law and the nature of justice. Thanks to Grisham, Holmes, McSweeny and the Arena actors, those challenges become pure drama.
