There is a certain fluidity to history, a certain way that events happen and then are told, written, and rewritten based on the changing sensibilities of time. This is something I think Carns captures wonderfully in this play. Noting that the scenes can be rearranged only further highlights this idea. The dialogue is thoughtful and the pacing is beautiful, rooting the audience in realism which allows the play's movement through time to be that much more magical. At once, a very specific world while also being open enough for creative theatricality and staging of any performance group.

Anthea Carns's summary above gives an excellent introduction to the subject of her play. But it doesn't convey the taut dramaturgy and beautifully sculpted, even fierce dialogue coming from her three main characters. Parallels are drawn between the three accused women, each paired with one man: Lillian Hellman with Dashiell Hammett (Communism), Joan of Arc and a guard (heresy), and Martha Dobie (from Hellman's "Children's Hour") with Joe Cardin (Lesbianism). While the play reads briskly and convincingly in the sequence presented, Carns tells us that scenes can be presented in different orders.