"Prima Facie" at the Golden Theatre

 Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is a transfer from London's West End. It's a single-actor show, but with a rather involved set with a whole library of books and binders surrounding a couple of imposingly large tables and some chairs, all of which serve as both props and platform at various times. It received rave reviews and many awards in the UK, so its US transfer is much anticipated, and has resulted in many award nominations as well.

The Play

Tessa is a rising star in British legal circles, working as a defense attorney, often defending men accused of sexual assault. Tessa loves the game, loves to win, but also believes that being an effective advocate for the defense is the best way to produce justice: if she unravels the prosecution's case, it just means the prosecutor didn't do their job well enough.

Eventually, though, dramatic karma catches up to Tessa, and she finds herself the victim of a sexual assault by a friend and coworker, and now she has to decide whether and how to subject herself to the same justice system she knows so well from the other side.

Playwright Miller, herself a former lawyer, has written a scenario so as to maximize the difficulties of the case, thus highlighting the Catch-22s facing all assault victims, but especially so with Tessa. Ultimately, Tessa has to choose whether the interest of justice and a chance at vindication outweighs the improbability of winning the case.

The Production

As noted earlier, the set is a big law office/library, full of shelves and shelves of case binders that Tessa (Jodie Comer) frequently refers to in telling her story. The beginning of the play details her background, coming from a modest background to reach the pinnacle of British legal education and a prestigious job in a respected firm. It's a pretty cool set, though Comer spends a fair amount of time moving furniture, which seems a bit unnecessary.

Comer gives a powerful presentation, offsetting the proud and often boastful barrister with insights into moments of doubt.

The aftermath of the trial gets a bit muddled, really turning into a kind of polemic. It's justified, of course, but after the diligence and nuance of the play, it seems to defocus the play, rather than emphasize the key points.

Bottom Line

Ultimately this is a show about injustice, a subject about which Miller (and Tessa) feel very strongly. And we get to see how emotional attachment can cloud judgement and make people less effective. It's painfully clear what Miller wants us to come away thinking, but by reducing the closing argument to a rant, it feels ultimately more sound and fury and less convincing. It feels as if the emotion carries away some of the effectiveness of the arguments.

Not to say that the play isn't powerful: it certainly is. But I can't help thinking it could be more effective with a little more reflection and a bit less raw emoting. Definitely worth seeing, though. The Broadway run continues through July 2nd at the Golden Theater.

Also note if you go: the play definitely runs longer than the advertised 100 minutes. Our show clocked in at just under two hours, which made us late for dinner. Plan accordingly.