Night of January 16th

A trial with two different rulings in the murder by the mistress plays out Ayn Rand's philosophy of individual will and celebration of the person over "group think". While Anthem was more a manifesto and in-depth than this play, the night of January 16th is worth reading. Written as a play it moves from evidence to perception to judgments. Ultimately it is about what truth you buy ... one person's or the collective.

This would make an interesting play to be seen on stage. Night of January 16th is an interesting play with some controversial topics or situations. There is an alternative ending which would make it ideal for a high school or college discussion on the processes of morality and justice in law. I found this to be a very clever play. Well worth your time!!

I saw this play performed rather than reading it. I found it quite entertaining but also provoking. The performance I saw was by a high school drama class of which I knew every actor. First a bit about the plot. I found the case presented very comedic on the parts of the prosecutor's witnesses and sympathetic by the defense. However, that could have had a lot to do with the direction of this particular performance. I thought for two reasons that the verdict should be not guilty and they are the following 1 - the philosophy of innocent until proven guilty. The evidence did not PROVE her guilty. 2 - As I saw it performed Andre and Regan held the audience in their hands, while the others were...entertaining. So for the sake of better acting and therefore, more convincing stories I thought they should let her off. It seems that was what they were judging in the minds of the cast and crew. Besides, a number of people had a motive and the playwright leaves that really open. The neat thing, and the more important thing, is that the physical evidence really doesn't matter. The play asks a few good questions, which makes it really fun. I like the philosophy that we never know enough information and can't trust people's testimonies to find the truth. We often judge the world on sympathies, which is not justice at all. It's a very good point and Rand makes it well. I definitely recommend it.

First off I would like to state that I have not read the original Night of January 16. You see, my highschool (UG Wisconsin) performed this play just a few nights ago. I LOVED it! I played the part of Mr. Whitfield, the powerful father-in-law of the late Bjorn Faulkner. I felt that the way the jury is drawn from the audience, and the whole play is done within a courtroom brings excitement to the stage. The witnesses all add a piece to the puzzle, and in the end it is up to those viewing (or reading) to decide the outcome of the trial. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I don't think I will ever forget it. I STRONGLY advise this script for performance, AND though I haven't read the original I DEFINATELY intend to.

We are performing this play at our High School(Davis High-Utah). We open on March 4, this coming Thursday. I play Magda Svenson, I love this character and I am so excited for this play. I am also excited to really actually ACT and show our school what we are made of. Every time we reahearse this play I love it even more. I ecspecially love Ayn Rands view of objectiveism, it is so cool. Thank you for this play and allowing me and my class to portray it to the best of our ability. Again Thank you and good-bye! From Hali Fifield