‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

PRIMA FACIE
Written by Suzie Miller
Directed by Justin Martin
Through July 2, 2023
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street

(212-239-6200), www.PrimaFacieplay.com

By David NouNou

To fully appreciate the play Prima Facie, one must understand the definition. The legal term prima facie “refers to a case in which pre-trial evidence was reviewed by a judge and determined to be sufficient to warrant the trial.”

Tessa (Jodie Comer) is a criminal defense barrister in the U.K, or “lawyer” as we say in the U.S. From the beginning, she describes in detail the thrill she gets when prosecuting a case and how she meticulously outlines the extraction of truths from a defendant and entraps them. She goes back to her early days in law school where she was one of 200 students in this elite class and being informed by the professor “look to your left, look to your right, one of you will not make it till the end.” Now, we get a fuller picture of who Tessa is and the determination and the love she has for the law.

She takes a case prosecuting a female rape victim, and with the loopholes in the legal system, she victimizes the woman in the case. She gets involved with a fellow barrister—the date they go on, the excessive drinking, and then inviting him back to her apartment, and what ensues. In the aftermath, she goes to report it to the police. After the incident, she finds herself in a position where the tables have reversed on her where she is the victim that is being prosecuted. She now feels the agony and shame of victimization and how the law is structured.

Being a solo play, the show rests on Jodie Comer. The performance is a revelation. She peels off layer after layer, whether in her triumphant moments or in her deepest despair. She never goes after our sympathy. She is a headstrong woman and proud of her accomplishments as a barrister. She doesn’t ask for pity but to right the wrongs in the law. Only an accomplished actress of infinite dimension can accomplish this feat, and Jodie Comer is that actress.

The main problem I had with the play is the direction of Justin Martin. There are so many sound effects from the beginning—with beating hearts to loud music—all of which are more of a distraction and jarring than complementing the play or Ms. Comer’s performance. When dealing with a serious subject of rape, less “noise” would have made sensitive moments more compelling and less distracting.

We have seen so many of these cases in America; this could be in any part of the world. The play isn’t just about rape victims and the horrors they endure. It is also about the unjust criminal law system and the reforming the system needs; to have women be heard and not allowing men to go free due to the loopholes in the law.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 27, 2023
Reviewed at April 26, 2023 press performance.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

The post ‘Prima Facie’: Jodie Comer is a revelation appeared first on StageZine.

LONDON— On Sunday, April 2, 2023 at the Royal Albert Hall, the West End production of Prima Facie won 2023 Olivier Awards for Best New Play and Best Actress for star Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”).

This month, Comer makes her Broadway debut in the solo play by Suzie Miller under the direction of Justin Martin (The Jungle). Previews for Prima Facie begin on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). Opening night is Sunday, April 23, 2023. The production will play a limited 10-week engagement through Sunday, June 18, 2023. Tickets are available at Telecharge.com.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Olivier Award winner Jodie Comer in the new drama starting Broadway previews on April 11, 2021. Photo: © Helen Murray.

For her performance in Prima Facie, which marked her West End debut, Comer also won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress, the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Play, the West End Debut Award from The Stage, and the BroadwayWorld UK/West End Award for Best Newcomer.

Playwright Suzie Miller also won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.

Tessa (Comer) is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning, until an unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

Prima Facie will work with The Schools Consent Project, a UK-based charity founded by Kate Parker that educates young people on issues surrounding consent and sexual assault. In addition to fundraising and donations, the production will work with the charity and various school groups to foster further understanding and education and extend the organization’s outreach in US schools.

Prima Facie will also work with Everyone’s Invited, a digital safe place for survivors to share their stories completely anonymously. Founded by Soma Sara, Everyone’s Invited provides many survivors a sense of relief, catharsis, empowerment, and gives them a feeling of community and hope.

The producers of Prima Facie recently announced that 10 tickets will be made available for $10 each at every performance via a weekly digital lottery. The $10 price point is inclusive of all fees. Beginning April 5, 2023, tickets priced at $10 for the following week’s performances will be released every Wednesday. For an opportunity to purchase a pair of seats at $10 each and to receive a weekly reminder to join the lottery, register via the Prima Facie website at primafacieplay.com/ticket-lottery

Jodie Comer won a 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for her mesmerizing performance as the psychopathic Russian assassin Villanelle in the BBC spy series, “Killing Eve.” She has also received two British Academy Television Awards for “Killing Eve” and “Help.” Her credits include the films The Last Duel and Free Guy, and the TV series, “Thirteen,” “The White Princess,” and “Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned.” Upcoming roles include the films The End We Start From and The Bikeriders.

Jodie Comer shows off her Olivier Award for Best Actress at the Oliver Awards in London on April 2, 2023. Photo: Pamela Raith Photography.

Anglo-Australian playwright Suzie Miller is a former human rights and children’s rights lawyer. Prima Facie originally premiered in 2019 in Sydney where it won the 2020 Australian Writers’ Guild Award for Drama, the 2020 David Williamson Award for Outstanding Theatre Writing, and the 2020 prestigious Major Australian Writers’ Guild Award across all categories of theatre, film, and television.

Director Justin Martin is best known for his staging of The Jungle, which has played at the Young Vic, the West End, St. Ann’s Warehouse in New York, and in San Francisco. Other credits include Low Level Panic, Last Chance: A Plea For the Unaccompanied Children of Calais, The Nether, Fifty Two, Good Chance/No Chance, Harvey and Frieda, Street, The Kitchen and Skintight.

Prima Facie features an original score by Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who is better known as Self Esteem, and who completed her debut US Tour earlier this year for her new album, Prioritise Pleasure. She will embark on a UK tour in 2023, before returning to the US for a show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 12, 2023. Her soundtrack album for Prima Facie is available on digital streaming services.

Dani Arlington, who understudied the role of Tessa for the West End production, will be the understudy for the Broadway engagement.

Set and costume design is by two-time Tony Award nominee Miriam Buether. Lighting design is by Drama Desk nominee Natasha Chivers. Sound design is by Drama Desk Award winners Ben & Max Ringham. Video is by William Williams for Treatment Studio.

Production Stage Manager is Diane DiVita. Assistant Stage Manager is Georgia Bird. Marketing is by Liz Furze for AKA. Production Management is by Liza Luxenberg for Aurora Productions. General management is by 101 Productions Ltd. Company manager is Katie Andrews. Associate Producer is Kerrise Stewart.

Jodie Comer, Dani Arlington and Georgia Bird are engaged with the support of Actors’ Equity Association.

Prima Facie is produced by Empire Street Productions, Elizabeth Armstrong, Barbara Broccoli, Caiola Productions, Kristin Caskey, Echo Lake Entertainment, Eilene Davidson Productions, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Faliro House, FilmNation Entertainment, Dale Franzen, L.T.D. Productions Inc., Holly Anderson Levow, Stephanie P. McClelland, Olympus Theatricals, Rachel Sussman and The Shubert Organization.

Trigger Warning: As much as we don’t want to give away any spoilers, we recognize that this play can cause distress or trigger challenging emotions for some audience members. Prima Facie includes sensitive subject matters including reference to sex, violence, and sexual assault. For more details and resources, visit primafacieplay.com.

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