A dark and disturbing 'Night of January 16th'

By Christian Hochstim

A murder trial. Karen Andre (Rachel Gordan, ES '98) is accused of killing wealthy business tycoon Bjorn Faulkner, with whom she had an affair. This is the premise for Rand's Night of January 16th, a play that tests each character's sense of morality and altruistic duty. But it's Ayn Rand, so of course it's not as simple as all that.

The trial escalates into a sweeping dramatic forum in which all witnesses become suspects and the truth becomes obscured. The deeper the investigation goes, the more seemingly guilty, greedy, and self-interested parties step forward.

The trial begins with the testimonies of several witnesses, including Karen Andre herself and Faulkner's widow, Nancy Lee (Tracy Appleton, JE '01). The acting throughout these courtroom scences is heartfelt and the dramatic continuity and suspense is maintained through both subtle revelations and dramatic outbursts by the characters.

The gradual progression of witnesses reveals a growing web of deceit and decadence. Faulkner's widow, as well as her father, Mr. Whitfield (Carl Shephard, JE '01), appear to be the virtuous victims of a jealous mistress's rage. But as more and more information comes to light, their initial saintliness begins to fade. They too appear to be driven by greed, and their relations with the late Bjorn Faulkner seem just as suspect as those of Karen and her gangster associates. Even Bjorn himself is described by all as a playboy who seeks only to please himself.

Soon, it seems as if no character is capable of interacting with anyone else for non-selfish reasons. As each witness brings more evidence out into the open, the truth becomes increasingly elusive. Also, the audience soon begins to realize that many, if not all, of the witnesses are telling lies. Initially, as Mrs. Faulkner and her father argue against Bjorn's possible suicide, they attempt to portray their own lifestyle as happy, virtuous, and family-oriented. Yet, they soon reveal themselves to be equally susceptible to self-interest, and motivated by greed and the promise of material wealth.

In the closing arguments of the trial, both the district attorney (director Claire Wladis, TD '00) and the defense attorney (Angie Burton, TD '00) agree that this trial is really a forum in which the jury is to decide between two versions of humanity: one with a potential for altruistic action; and the other dominated by egotism, ambition and greed. What they differ on is which characters represent which side. After all the swirling deceit and intrigue the trial exposes, it seems that no character can truly be seen as virtuous or free from self-satisfying motives.

The play is intriguing, and its constant, complex developments provide a suspenseful and intriguing drama. A notable humorous high point was the religious housekeeper Miss Svenson's reluctant yet vivid description of the "sinful" sexual exploits of Mr. Faulkner and his mistress.

The three acts of the play all begin with the quiet entry of all the characters into the courtroom, absorbed in their own little conversations until they are drawn to order by the bailiff. The repetition of this trope heightens the tension of each scene's opening, adding to the suspenseful atmosphere. Indeed, considering the limitations of the set (one courtroom for all three acts), the descriptive and animated dialogue does an impressive job of carrying a production that could have easily slid into monotony.

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