Devil's Advocate
Page layout and photos by Kevin Sprague of Studio Two
Playbill notes by Jeremy D. Goodwin
Christmas Eve, 1989. A man who has grown used to absolute power is hovering on the brink of exile, imprisonment, or death. Outside the gates of his temporary sanctuary, the most powerful military force in the hemisphere lies in wait. Over the course of one unforgettable night, he and a holy man lock horns in a duel—intellectual, political, and spiritual—that strips away the popular image of a despot and gazes unblinkingly at the horrible realities behind true power, whether it’s wielded by a reviled Panamanian strongman…or the President of the United States.
Devil’s Advocate imagines what happened in the real-life encounter between Manuel Noriega and Archbishop Jose Sebastian Laboa, as Noriega sought political assylum in the Vatican embassy for one night, refusing to surrender to the American army outside.
This American premiere features Shakespeare & Company’s Director of Training, Dennis Krausnick, and two visiting artists from the Mercury Theatre of Colchester, England: director Dee Evans and Ignatius Anthony, who portrays Noriega. Evans and Anthony teamed up for the world premiere of this play in 2005, and joined Krausnick for a workshop performance at Shakespeare & Company in 2007.
Freed’s work has been celebrated for its unflinching look at the humanity behind the good and evil of political might, as it explodes preconceived notions about the nature of modern American political power . He calls Devil’s Advocate a sort of companion to his The White Crow, which made its critically lauded world premiere at the Theatre Royal in York, England in May. Freed previously adapted his play Secret Honor, depicting a desperate but passionate Richard Nixon trying to make sense of the decisions that led him to political disgrace, for the 1984 film directed by Robert Altman.
Christmas Eve, 1989. A man who has grown used to absolute power is hovering on the brink of exile, imprisonment, or death. Outside the gates of his temporary sanctuary, the most powerful military force in the hemisphere lies in wait. Over the course of one unforgettable night, he and a holy man lock horns in a duel—intellectual, political, and spiritual—that strips away the popular image of a despot and gazes unblinkingly at the horrible realities behind true power, whether it’s wielded by a reviled Panamanian strongman…or the President of the United States.
Devil’s Advocate imagines what happened in the real-life encounter between Manuel Noriega and Archbishop Jose Sebastian Laboa, as Noriega sought political assylum in the Vatican embassy for one night, refusing to surrender to the American army outside.
This American premiere features Shakespeare & Company’s Director of Training, Dennis Krausnick, and two visiting artists from the Mercury Theatre of Colchester, England: director Dee Evans and Ignatius Anthony, who portrays Noriega. Evans and Anthony teamed up for the world premiere of this play in 2005, and joined Krausnick for a workshop performance at Shakespeare & Company in 2007.
Freed’s work has been celebrated for its unflinching look at the humanity behind the good and evil of political might, as it explodes preconceived notions about the nature of modern American political power . He calls Devil’s Advocate a sort of companion to his The White Crow, which made its critically lauded world premiere at the Theatre Royal in York, England in May. Freed previously adapted his play Secret Honor, depicting a desperate but passionate Richard Nixon trying to make sense of the decisions that led him to political disgrace, for the 1984 film directed by Robert Altman.
