Aside from being a solder, White was a fireman and disgruntled city supervisor who shot both Harvey Milk (the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the US) and George Moscone, (the liberal mayor of California).
Telling quotes taken from interviews, the media and the street are interwoven with sections of the 1978 trial transcript to paint a picture of a San Francisco establishment – and a police force – more pro the murderer than the innocent victims.
A committed cast of twenty (several of whom take on various roles) brings the tense atmosphere in the courtroom to life as Ben Mars’ increasingly frustrated prosecutor goes head to head with a defence lawyer who pleads for a lesser conviction of manslaughter – on the grounds of his client’s depression, diminished responsibility and, infamously, uncharacteristic binge on Twinkies and sugary junk food.
Southwark Playhouse, Shipwright Yard, SE1 2TF
020 7407 0234
Tube: London Bridge
Until February 4
£10-£18.00
southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
