SOURCE: A review of Execution of Justice, in Theatre Journal, Vol. 38, No. 4, December 1986, pp. 476-77.

In the evaluation below of Execution of Justice, Brown notes that "the weakness of the play lies in its similarity to news and documentary technique, " but he concludes favorably: "A serious attempt is being made here to question our legal system and the ethics that underlie it."

The sentencing of former San Francisco supervisor Dan White for the 1978 murders of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk inspired television and print commentary, a film called The Times of Harvey Milk, and a play by Emily Mann. We all remember the murders, the trial of Mr. White, and his use of the "twinkie defense." The Eureka Theatre of San Francisco saw potential in this story and commissioned Ms. Mann to dramatize it in 1982. After eighteen months of collaborative effort a work emerged that was...