Burning Coal Hits a Home Run
with the U.S. Premiere of David
Edgar's Here in America

A playwright, a director, and an actor walk into a bar (or onto a stage) .... But this is not a joke.

On Dec. 4-21, Burning Coal Theatre Company co-founder and artistic director Jerome Davis will direct the U.S. premiere of British dramatist David Edgar's Here in America in Burning Coal's Murphey School Auditorium in Raleigh. I must confess that the name Elia Kazan was brand new to me, but I was intrigued by the idea of a play that focused on Arthur Miller during the dark part of America's 20th Century known as "The Red Scare." Learning that Kazan, an important and highly respected film and theater director, had been a friend of Miller's and had directed some of Miller's masterpieces raised the ante. (And I certainly did not want to miss a play in which Marilyn Monroe would appear as a character.)

Here in America challenges the audience to consider the choices that Kazan and Miller faced when pressured by U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Should they make self-preservation (and self-interest) their primary concern? Or should they be true to their own convictions? And what about loyalty to friends and colleagues?

Should they allow the government to censor (and force them to self-censor) their work? Or should they take a chance and possibly find themselves blacklisted?

More than that, however, the play challenges all of us to consider our own values and our own options carefully when facing important decisions in this brave new world.

In the world of the play, Arthur Miller is known as "Art"; Elia Kazan is called "Gadge"; Kazan's wife, Molly Day Thacher Kazan, goes by "Day"; and Marilyn Monroe is referred to as "Miss Bauer."

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)

The Play:

We meet Art and Gadge at key moments in the 1950s and 1960s. At the center of their conversation is the question: "Do we name names?" Ultimately, Gadge will, and Art will not. Day supports her husband's decision to protect himself and his career.

Miss Bauer, with whom both men have had a relationship, seems to haunt both men as they grapple with themselves and with each other.

How will each man's decisions affect his work, his life, and his legacy?

How will their decisions affect their friendship?

Will they ever be able to work together again?

Spoiler Alert: Miller's play The Crucible is mentioned in the dialogue.

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

The Acting:

Andrew Goins (as Art) and Chip Carey (as Gadge) make a great pair of "mighty opposites." The gentle humor that had been key to the characters' friendship is still an apparent undercurrent as they face off on the issues.

Emma Roe is quite believable as Miss Bauer, deftly avoiding creating a cartoon character by overdoing it. (Note: Roe's performance, aided by the costume and wig, transformed her so completely that I was unable to spot her until the cast and designers came out for an audience talkback.) And Sarah Winter turns in a solid performance as Day.

Carey and Winter are also on point as the suitably stone-faced "inquisitors" during a brief House Un-American Activities Committee scene, and Roe appears as another character in a late scene.

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)

The Tech:

Barry Jaked's technical direction is sound and tight. Tom Burch's scenic design supplies both the realistic interiors and exteriors of actual time-and-place settings and the surreal locations of the meetings-of-the-minds.

Lynda Clark's costume and wig design deserves major kudos for both the realism and implied connections between the characters. (Note the above comment regarding Miss Bauer.) And Matthew E. Adelson's lighting design supports and underscores the action and the themes.

Juan Isler's sound design, is best described as "thorough." Period music puts us "right there," and sound effects -- real and surreal, pronounced and subtle -- enhance the experience. And Rebecca Peace, assisted by Lauren Hess and Asia Mayfield, covers stage management.

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

Nice Touches:

• Buring Coal's Study Guide (created by Juliette Hill) and the Digital Program..
• The matching colors of Miss Bauer's lipstick, blouse, and nail polish.
• The accents and (mono)tones of voices during the interrogation scene in Congress.
• The period microphones used during that scene.
• The tree bough suspended from the ceiling and the effects that it creates as part of the lighting design.
• The diagonal "line" across the center of the stage.
• The reference to a "Polish version" of Scrabble.
• The talkback after the opening-night performance.

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

Memorable Lines:

• "Miss 'Oh Yeah.'"
• "The worst betrayal is of yourself."
• "He would name names, but he wouldn't spell 'em."
• "The Kazan Mask -- Marxist-Leninist version."
• "What's in Massachusetts?" "Salem."
• "Maybe we were right to be wrong."
• "I'm a writer, and my job is looking into other people's souls and finding bits of me."
• "We're all Abel and all Cain. There is no saving grace."
• "Not whether to betray, but who."

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

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

• As useful as the Study Guide is, I would like to see promotional material giving it more hype.
• Because of the 1950s and 1960s setting, in the scenes in which Miss Bauer is obviously wearing stockings, they should probably have had back-seams and/or reinforced heel and toe.

Here in America at Burning Coal stars (from left) Andrew Goins as Art, Chip Carey as Gadge, and Sarah Winter as Day (photo by Bert Cook)

The Bottom Line:

With Here in America, Burning Coal Theatre Company has once again hit a home run. Interesting material, riveting performances, high quality production values, and food for thought (something to chew on after the show) -- the ever-present Burning Coal ingredients for a dynamite performance are all there. All the Cool People approve of it and recommend it.

Burning Coal Theatre Company's Dec. 4-21 U.S. premiere of Here in America, written by David Edgar and directed by Jerome Davis, stars
(from left) Andrew Goins as Art, Chip Carey as Gadge, Sarah Winter as Day, and Emma Roe as Miss Bauer (photo by Kevin Lord)

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. Lydia Sbityakov's Triangle Review Review Permalink.

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