Written for Time Out
Who knew Ayn Rand was a pioneer of interactive theatre? Her 1934 play signs its audience up for jury service and our collective verdict determines the ending. If the law is an ass, Night of January 16th is basically a donkey ride.
Intended as a serious illustration of objectivist ethics (Rand's system of self-interest), it's essentially a schlocky murder mystery: mediocre, but also great fun. Crooked financier Bjorn Faulkner, for whom wrong and right mattered less than can and can't (he always could), is found dead. In the dock, his lover and secretary Karen Andre (Francesca Secchi) stands accused of murder.
Fantastic work from Jonathan Rigby and David Mildon as the two jousting attorneys keeps things snappy and taut, making Night of January 16th a real guilty pleasure.
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