Tessa is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister who loves to win. She has worked her way up from working-class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross-examining and lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge. Suzie Miller’s award-winning Prima Facie takes us to the heart of where emotion and experience collide with the rules of the game. Justin Martin directs this solo actor tour de force from Jodie Comer.
Comer is a superb athlete. “Prima Facie” runs 90 minutes, and in its first 15 minutes, it appears that this actor never takes a breath as she races at breakneck speed through her character’s background as a defense barrister for persons accused of sexual abuse. The extreme alacrity and force of Comer’s delivery is part aggression; she plays a very truculent defense lawyer named Tessa Ensler. It is also part compensation for the character being a woman born in the working-class. At Cambridge University, she had been surrounded by students, most of them male, to the manor born. She defends her fierce grilling of the plaintiff because that is her role as a defense lawyer. Tessa is a real professional.
Jodie Comer is just plain f---ing remarkable. For an hour and 40 minutes, she's absolutely transfixing. At first haughty and self-possessed as the young lawyer with a brilliant future, and then defeated but defiant as a victim determined to retain her faith in the system to which she had dedicated her life.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $10
Where: primafacieplay.com/ticket-lottery
When: Beginning April 5, 2023, tickets priced at $10 for the following week's performances will be released every Wednesday.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Tickets are subject to availability.
2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Justin Martin |
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lead Performer in a Play | Jodie Comer |
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Natasha Chivers |
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Play | Suzie Miller |
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Scenic Design | Miriam Buether |
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Ben Ringham |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play | Natasha Chivers |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | Suzie Miller |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | Jodie Comer |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jodie Comer |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Prima Facie |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | Jodie Comer |
2023 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Jodie Comer |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Jodie Comer |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Natasha Chivers |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Miriam Buether |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Ben & Max Ringham |
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