Twinkie Defense revisited

By Patrick Flajole

"Execution of Justice," a compelling examination of social issues pertinent to this week's election, premiers Friday in Mayer Theatre.

The play uses trial transcripts to reenact and illuminate the injustices in the case of Dan White, who was involved in one of the most famous San Francisco court cases of the last 30 years.

"It deals with important social justice issues," Director Barbara Fraser.

In 1979, San Francisco Supervisor Dan White's defense contended that his consumption of an abnormal number of Twinkies (the "Twinkie Defense") led to a murderous hysteria -- a sugar high.

This sugar high was said to have led to the murders of progressive Mayor George Moscone and his supervisor, Harvey Milk, an openly gay man.

Since the trial, the defense's argument has become obsolete and a joke, but the deeper issues are still very relevant.

The play, written by Emily Mann, reminds us that historically controversial topics continue to hold relevance in today's political and social discourse.

"It's important to touch people in a way that makes them feel and think about things they may not have thought about, to encourage discussion," said Fraser, who chose the play to provoke thought and conversation.

"My sense of theater is the communication of a set of values," she said.

Actress Molly Murphy, a sophomore, said the historical fiction aspect of the play has had a significant influence on how she has dealt with the script. "We're all very aware that we're playing real people that went through this," she said.

"We all want to do this story justice and really bring out that these were real events and their importance to San Francisco history."

In the trial, the prosecution insisted on discounting sexual orientation as a reason for the murder of Milk.

Junior Michael Bates, who plays prosecutor Tom Norman, recognizes his character's reticence as central to the contemporary issues that the story stirs up.

"These injustices occur, and it's important that they are brought up in some sort of discussion, some sort of critical analysis," Bates said.

"Thirty years later, has anything progressed? Are we still here with gay rights and gay liberation, with the rights of minorities?" Bates asked.

Bates also plays Sister Boom Boom, a member of a San Francisco-based group of homosexual men who dress up as nuns and go around doing charity work.

Sister Boom Boom represents the fact that these issues cross all lines.

Everyone is impacted -- it's not just the people who are directly involved who are affected by injustice.

The historical separation of the case enables thought that is particularly crucial and personal in times of voting.

Elected government officials and the propositions and referendums that will be implemented along with them should be recognized in their full historical contexts.

Senior Matthew Johns, the play's lighting manager, points out the importance of acknowledging these injustices in relation to our political and social systems, especially in light of Tuesday's election.

"These are the people you're electing," he said. "They're just as susceptible to human faults as we are."

Johns drew a connection between "Execution of Justice" and Proposition Eight, challenging students to ask themselves, "Who are you putting in power, and why?"

Fraser also emphasized the significance of the style in which the play is performed.

"People's Theatre is done by going out and interviewing real people and looking at transcripts," she said. "It's based not only on news, but people's reactions. It's a humanizing but also truthful story."

The show will run Friday, Saturday, Sunday and will continue next week from Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 15.

Contact Patrick Flajole at (408) 551-1918 or pflajole@scu.edu.