THE STORY: A striking courtroom drama about a famous event in American history: the military trial of Henry Wirz, who was commander of the Confederate prison at Andersonville during the Civil War. As told by the New York Daily News: “Wirz, a Swiss immigrant and a doctor, had enlisted in the rebel army, had been severely wounded and, a semi-invalid, had been put in command of this military prison. It was merely a stockade with no shelter from winter or summer, and its food consisted of rough corn bread. In summer, Wirz testified at his trial, a hundred men died there each day…Torn by awful memories and coldly pursued by his prosecutor he [Wirz] maintains that he ran Andersonville as a soldier acting under superior orders.” The crux of this stirring play raises the question of when the responsibility of the individual to his conscience transcends any power of authority.
“The audience at Henry Miller’s Theatre could not wait for the end of THE ANDERSONVILLE TRIAL to begin its cheering last evening…I shared the enthusiasm…An adroit courtroom drama…This is lusty theatre.” —New York Daily News.
“A hell-raising heart searcher…Broadway drama took a long step forward last evening.” —New York World-Telegram & Sun.
“An absorbing and thoughtful drama…A provocative study of the moral issues involved in the conflict between man’s obligation to authority and to his conscience.” —New York Post.
