Denial

This full-cast ideological thriller, taped before a live audience, concerns a Jewish attorney called upon to defend a neo-Nazi's First Amendment rights. Like many thesis dramas, it is earnest, but forced and manipulative. A first-rate production could still find enough here to turn into strong theater. But Jenny Sullivan has directed her cast tritely. Their admirable energy cannot quite compensate for superficial characterizations and preachy line readings. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

August 9, 2000
This play dramatizes the legal problems of an obtuse man who proclaims that six million Jews were not murdered in Nazi death camps in the Holocaust. A Jewish female attorney comes to his defense because of her firm belief in an American's right to free speech. Playwright Sagal, rather than staging a trial, keeps the action outside the courtroom. The most interesting antagonist is an elderly Jewish Holocaust survivor, who in a tense finale faces an unpleasant reality. This interplay of ideas and ideals flexes less muscle than another drama about freedom of speech, Inherit the Wind. Good actors try to animate these characters, some of whom remain sketchy. For example, the lawyer's black secretary, with few exceptions, mouths trivia and sarcasm. All have distinct voices, clearly recorded for easy identification. Denial, while interesting, only partly realizes its commendable aims. Recommended mainly for drama and Holocaust students, especially where new American dramas are being evaluated.--Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY

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