Anna D. Shapiro Revives 1972 HUAC Drama at City Center, Recasting 1947-56 Testimony
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 16
Anna D. Shapiro Revives 1972 HUAC Drama at City Center, Recasting 1947-56 Testimony
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 16
Summary
New York City Center Stage 1 hosts Anna D. Shapiro’s revival of Eric Bentley’s 1972 documentary drama, built from House Un-American Activities Committee testimony gathered from 1947 to 1956.
Bentley’s script draws its force from real words rather than invented dialogue, staging clashes among figures such as Paul Robeson, Lillian Hellman, Jerome Robbins and Ring Lardner Jr.
Michael McKean plays a composite HUAC chairman whose demands for proof of being a “real American” sharpen the production’s central question about coercion, patriotism and naming names.
The review calls the revival a blood-boiling, timely piece of political theater, arguing that its Cold War interrogations echo present-day anxieties despite assumptions audiences now want lighter fare.