Reception
The play's reception over the years has been mixed. The initial Los Angeles run (as Woman on Trial) got complimentary reviews, although Rand was disappointed that they focused on the play's melodrama and its similarity to The Trial of Mary Dugan, while paying little attention to aspects she considered more important, such as the contrasting ideas of individualism versus conformity. The Broadway production received a negative review from Brooks Atkinson in The New York Times, who called it "the usual brew of hokum". A review from Theatre Arts magazine was similarly dismissive. Most other reviewers were more positive, praising its melodrama and the acting of Doris Nolan and Walter Pidgeon. Commonweal described it as "well constructed, well enough written, admirably directed ... and excellently acted". Some reviews focused on Woods, who had many previous theatrical successes, as the source of the play's positive attributes, although Rand considered his changes harmful and was embarrassed by reviews that praised these elements. Once again reviewers ignored the broader themes that Rand considered important. The London production later that year got positive reviews but was not a commercial success. The 1973 revival (as Penthouse Legend) was a failure and received strongly negative reviews.
Academics and biographers looking back on the play have also expressed mixed opinions. Historian James Baker described Rand's presentation of courtroom behavior as unrealistic, but said audiences forgive this because the play's dramatic moments are "so much fun". Ultimately he thought the play was "great entertainment" that is "held together by an enormously attractive woman and a gimmick", but "it is not philosophy" and fails to convey the themes Rand had in mind. Jennifer Burns expressed a similar view, stating that the play's attempts to portray individualism had "dubious results ... Rand intended Bjorn Faulkner to embody heroic individualism, but in the play he comes off as little more than an unscrupulous businessman with a taste for rough sex." Mimi Reisel Gladstein described the play as "significant for dramatic ingenuity and thematic content."
Read more about this topic: Night Of January 16th
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