The Thought-Provoking U.S. Premiere
of David Edgar's Here in America Is
Beautifully Staged by Jerome Davis

Watching the U.S. premiere of British playwright David Edgar's Here in America, directed by Burning Coal Theatre Company co-founder and artistic director Jerome Davis, is like staring into a hall of mirrors. David Edgar kaleidoscopes the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, the McCarthy period of the mid-20th century, and Trump 2.0 through the lens of the relationship between two mid-century American cultural titans, Elia Kazan (played by Chip Carey) and Arthur Miller (portrayed by Andrew Goins) and their wives, Molly Day Thacher Kazan (played by Sarah Winter) and Marilyn Monroe (portrayed by Emma Roe).

Tom Burch's fabulous set is not only gorgeous to look at, but transforms the utilitarian theater space, dividing the performance space into distinct areas while simultaneously unifying it. Matthew E. Adelson's lighting design and Lynda Clark's costumes are likewise superb, complementing the solid acting of this small ensemble.

Burning Coal's U.S. premiere of Here in America stars Andrew Goins (left) as Art and Chip Carey as Gadge (photo by Kevin Lord)

In 1952, when the real-life Elia Kazan, who had briefly been a member of the Communist Party USA during the Great Depression, was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), he named names, effectively destroying the lives of several colleagues in the film business. His self-serving justification for doing this was that he wanted to keep working in Hollywood; and if he refused to cooperate, he would be blacklisted (as others had been) and his career would be ruined.

Some people in the movie business never forgave him, although he and Arthur Miller, who had been close friends, eventually worked together again on Miller's play After the Fall as depicted in the last scene of Here in America. The arc of their friendship serves as a vehicle for the theme of the play, which Miller pointedly sums up at the end as being the difference between choosing what is right and what is best for you (i.e., Kazan).

Emma Roe stars as Miss Bauer and Chip Carey stars as Gadge in Here in America (photo by Kevin Lord)

This play focuses almost myopically on the two men and the moral and ethical implications of whether or not Kazan should have cooperated with the Committee. The two women, Kazan's wife Molly Day Kazan and Marilyn Monroe, are stuck in supporting roles. By taking such a narrow view of Kazan's ethics, the playwright missed a potential goldmine of conflict that included the perspectives of the two women. Kazan was apparently a serial philanderer, in addition to being a rat. In a letter to Day after admitting to having an affair with Monroe (before Monroe later ends up marrying Miller) Kazan writes:

"If you divorce me, I'll tell you plainly I will in time get married again and have more children. I feel I'm a family man and I want a family, and am a damned good one. I don't care what your judgment is on that. I think I see the world around me (us) a hell of a lot more clearly than you do or anyone else does for that matter."

Sarah Winter stars as Day and Chip Carey stars as Gadge in Burning Coal's U.S. premiere of Here in America (photo by Kevin Lord)

Yet Day and Kazan seem happily domestic. In the play, she fully supports his choice to cooperate with HUAC. And the iconic Monroe was married to Miller from 1956 to 1961, years which are covered by the action of this play. Even though she died by a barbiturate overdose the year after her marriage to Miller ended, her character as written here does not extend past her typecast role as goddess of femininity, muse, and helpmate.

In addition to the historical references to Marilyn Monroe, HUAC, and the McCarthy period, the play also presumes some level of familiarity with the work of Kazan and Miller. Kazan's films Gentleman's Agreement, A Streetcar Named Desire, and On the Waterfront are all specifically mentioned as are Miller's plays Death of a Salesman, All My Sons and, most relevantly, The Crucible. It is this historical work which neatly ties together three periods of American history.

Andrew Goins stars as Art in Burning Coal's U.S. premiere of Here in America (photo by Bert Cook)

Additionally, Miller's After the Fall, which premiered on Broadway in January 1964, under the direction of Kazan, bookends the play. At rise, Miller and Kazan are discussing the possibility of Kazan directing After the Fall and the final scene ends during its first rehearsal. Time, however, does not proceed linearly throughout the play, but skips around throughout the years 1952-63, and between locations: New York City; Washington, DC; and Kazan's home in Connecticut.

Here in America is a thicket of references, beautifully staged by Burning Coal, ultimately thought-provoking and worth the cost of a ticket and 75 minutes of your time.

The U.S. premiere of Here in America stars Emma Roe as Miss Bauer (photo by Bert Cook)

David Edgar's HERE IN AMERICA (In-Person U.S. Premiere at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11-14 and 18-21), directed by Jerome Davis and starring Andrew Goins as Arthur Miller (Art), Chip Carey as Elia Kazan (Gadge), Sarah Winter as Gadge's wife (Day), and Emma Roe as Marilyn Monroe (Miss Bauer) (Burning Coal Theatre Company in the Murphey School Auditorium in Raleigh). REELS: https://www.facebook.com/burningcoaltc/reels/. DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG5WD69pUs/s-uC4JjaiG7FFxPRzF01Fg/view. STUDY GUIDE: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGqiZQDYL4/uEywV8Mb4bqqHiYskQw5BQ/view. PRESENTER: https://burningcoal.org/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/burning-coal-theatre-co/, https://www.facebook.com/burningcoaltheatrecompany, https://www.instagram.com/burningcoaltc/, https://www.tiktok.com/@burningcoaltc, https://x.com/burningcoaltc, and https://www.youtube.com/@BurningCoaltc. PODCASTS: https://burningcoal.podbean.com/. 2025-26 MAINSTAGE SEASON: https://burningcoal.org/season-29/. VENUE: https://burningcoal.org/plan-your-visit/ and https://burningcoal.org/history-of-the-murphey-school/. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://burningcoal.org/plan-your-visit/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://burningcoal.org/accessibility/. HERE IN AMERICA (2025 Richmond, Surrey, England play): https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/here-in-america/. THE SCRIPT (Perlego): https://www.perlego.com/book/4578865/here-in-america-pdf. STUDY GUIDE (Burning Coal Theatre Company): https://www.canva.com/design/DAGqiZQDYL4/uEywV8Mb4bqqHiYskQw5BQ/view. DAVID EDGAR (Birmingham, England-born playwright and writer): https://www.alanbrodie.com/dramatist-david-edgar, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/2145/david-edgar, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/david-edgar-9597, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0249201/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Edgar, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Edgar_(playwright). CONTENT ADVISORY: Burning Coal cautions, "This production contains mild language. Suitable for audiences 14+." TICKETS: $30 ($5 students 18 and under, $20 students and educators and active-duty military personnel, and $25 seniors 65+), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-834-4001 or info@burningcoal.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Burning Coal Theatre Company.

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