Before Vinson

[FULL LENGTH] It's an early spring day in 1949, and a young attorney named Bernard is about to argue his first case before the U.S. Supreme Court. As he makes his final preparations for oral argument, however, he learns that the outcome of the case will depend not upon his legal acumen, but on backyard tennis games, men's fashion, breakfast pastries - and a certain traveling salesman who lived next...
[FULL LENGTH] It's an early spring day in 1949, and a young attorney named Bernard is about to argue his first case before the U.S. Supreme Court. As he makes his final preparations for oral argument, however, he learns that the outcome of the case will depend not upon his legal acumen, but on backyard tennis games, men's fashion, breakfast pastries - and a certain traveling salesman who lived next door when Bernard was growing up.
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Before Vinson

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  • Scott Sickles:
    24 Jun. 2023
    The first half of this hour-long one-act (remember those?) feels downright Capraesque with its idealistic albeit naive hero, his cynical yet pragmatic advisor, and the sharp-witted woman who keeps them grounded while cracking wise. Midway through, right where it should, the play takes a dark turn that's as much Capra as it is Miller. The zing is replaced by a haunting negotiation between opportunity and ethics. But this isn't Capra or Miller, it's O'Day and he puts a glorifying spin on a dizzyingly complex debate. Funny, gripping, and deeply satisfying, this is a post-war play that's profoundly timeless.
  • Philip Middleton Williams:
    21 Jun. 2023
    In both the spirit and the tone of noir, Michael C. O'Day deftly links a character from a classic American play to his own story of a young lawyer taking his first case to the Supreme Court. But more than just a drama with overtones of "Law & Order" or "The West Wing," we find out what really matters when the rules of law are stripped away: what tie to wear, what pastry to choose, and overcoming the rivalries of those boys in high school who bullied him. Fascinating and well-written, and worthy of staging everywhere.
  • Paul Donnelly:
    20 Jun. 2023
    Although filled with resonant echoes of Death of a Salesman, this piece stands neatly on its own with a compelling exploration of ambition and ethics and the cold hard realities of life. Bernard's interactions with Myron and Edna are as comic as his encounter with the Stranger is chilling. There is also excellent use made of it's just post-war setting.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Valdez Theatre Conference
    ,
    2023
  • Reading
    ,
    Playwrights' Theatre of East Hampton
    ,
    2023