Theater Review - Miscarriage of Justice

Unfortunately, everything you are about to see is true, director Jon Tyler Owens announces in the curtain speech of The Exonerated. “Unfortunately,” because Jack in the Black Box’s production of The Exonerated chillingly exposes the flaws and abuses of America’s capital punishment system.

Comparable to The Laramie Project’s examination of the Matthew Shepard murder, The Exonerated recounts the stories of six innocent people, all unjustly condemned to death row and miraculously released after years - in some cases, decades. Playwrights Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen constructed the accounts based on interviews with the former prisoners, which amount to the most powerful possible argument against the death penalty.

Alternating between the different stories, The Exonerated presents disturbing accounts of police coercing confessions, prosecutors suppressing evidence and, in some cases, the state fighting inmates’ appeals even after receiving confessions from the actual guilty parties. None proves more unsettling than the case of Sunny Jacobs (Parks Stamper), the mother of two small children, who was convicted - along with her husband - based on the perjured testimony of the actual killer.

In multiple roles, Douglas Curlin and Craig Glassco put the worst face on American law and order, playing relentless, frequently bigoted police officers, prison guards and other cruel authority figures. The Exonerated frequently finds pervasive racism in our culture. One condemned man, describing his unjust arrest, says, “I might as well wear a sign that says, ‘Arrest me, I’m black.’” But the play also finds a through-line about the importance of religious faith in sustaining the inmates through their hellish experiences.

At times actors exaggerate the colorful traits of their plainspoken characters when a more natural, unforced approach feels the most affecting. Plus, the poetic interludes by Delbert Tibbs (Tyrone Holt) impede the momentum of an already talky show. Yet even the most ardent advocate of executing America’s worst criminals will have difficulty refuting The Exonerated. If even one innocent citizen is put to death by mistake, shouldn’t the entire system be invalidated? Or do we hold life more cheaply than that?

Curt.Holman@creativeloafing.comJack in the Black Box Theatre presents The Exonerated through March 29 at Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave. Sun.-Tues., 8 p.m. The production continues April 1-3 and April 7-9 at the Horizons School, 1900 DeKalb Ave. $15. 404-432-9847. www.jackintheblackboxtheatre.com.