The Lifespan of a Fact
4 out of 5 Stars
What is The Lifespan of a Fact? Our current political landscape brings lots of questions about facts to the forefront. The emergence of real “fake news” (we are not talking about you, New York Times) has truly undermined some of our faith in reality.
The aptly named 85 minutes of theater presented at Studio 54 deals with the skepticism that has come to surround day to day information. On one day in Las Vegas, a series of events occurred that ultimately become the subject of an intended masterwork of magazine journalism. One last step remains before publication – checking the accuracy of the facts.
Cherry Jones, Daniel Radcliffe, and Bobby Cannavale
This is the duty of our super nerd protagonist, Jim, played by the endearing Daniel Radcliffe. In a job that was perhaps meant to be a rubber stamp gloss over, Jim deems it to be the cornerstone of the launch of his career. He is taking this assignment very seriously!
Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones, and Bobby Cannavale
Jim is up against a daunting opponent, an esteemed writer named John played with menace and sarcasm by Bobby Cannavale. John has his clear reasons for every fact he has manipulated — it sounds better this way, it creates a bigger punch, it better connects the reader. He is much more interested in impact over accuracy.
Bobby Cannavale and Cherry Jones
The referee in this toe-to-toe slugfest is the formidable editor Emily, played by the inimitable and charismatic Cherry Jones. As the article, um we mean essay as John demands it be called, gets dissected to its most minute components, we in the audience become enlightened to the manufacturing of our daily news feed. Who has the right to decide what is right about what others write?
Go see this production, so cleverly written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell, and directed by the talented Leigh Silverman. Prepare to be informed, engaged, and very entertained.
Why we went: Star power with a witty title
JMG and MSG