Robin Gerber's The Shot, Starring Sharon Lawrence,
Is Mesmerizing, Entertaining As Well As Engaging

Tuesday's opening-night full house at PlayMakers Repertory Company's Jan. 7-12 presentation of The Shot by Robin Gerber was instantly (and permanently) mesmerized by Sharon Lawrence's portrayal of Katharine Graham. Based on Gerber's 2005 book, Katharine Graham: The Leadership Journey of an American Icon, and directed by Michelle Joyner, the play is a 90-minute glimpse into the personal life of this remarkable woman who, prior to becoming publisher of The Washington Post in 1963, endured physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her husband, Phil Graham.

Katharine Graham is known not only for having built The Washington Post into a major newspaper, but also for publishing The Pentagon Papers and for her paper's uncovering of the Watergate Scandal (both of which were instrumental in "the fall" of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon).

Side Note: Although the term "the shot" foreshadows Katharine Graham's trauma on night when Phil Graham shot and killed himself, keep in mind that the term also refers to times when her life changed and she found herself "taking a shot" at an expanded (or imploded) way of life. And keep an eye out for other applications of the term.

The Shot, written by Robin Gerber and directed by Michelle Joyner, stars Sharon Lawrence as Katharine Graham (photo by TJ Carr)

The Play:

The Shot begins with Katharine Graham speaking to a gathering of people "10 years after" Nixon's 1974 resignation. As she speaks to this audience and begins telling her story, she steps into earlier iterations of herself, explaining and acting out pivotal moments in her life, each of which can be viewed as a "(snap)shot."

We learn about her youthful aspirations to become a journalist and her early employment in the field. And we are witnesses as these hopes become a "dream deferred."

We are there with her when she meets and is charmed by the dashing Phil Graham, and we are also there for the couple's "first time," when Phil, for all intents and purposes, commits rape.

We're there as Graham plays the role of "dutiful wife" in both private and public life.

We're there as she lovingly and attentively raises four children and as she begins having to deal with Phil's descent into mental illness.

And we are with her when she is roused from her sleep by "the shot" (that could have destroyed her mentally and emotionally) and when she resolves to pick up the pieces and persevere after Phil's suicide.

The Shot, written by Robin Gerber and directed by Michelle Joyner, stars Sharon Lawrence as Katharine Graham (photo by TJ Carr)

The Acting:

Sharon Lawrence's performance is nothing short of phenomenal! She has thoroughly stepped into the identity of Katharine Graham at age 67; and then, through changes in voice, posture, body language, and mannerisms, she morphs into other characters in the story (as well as to her own character at a variety of younger stages of her life).

The audience is drawn in; and we sympathize, empathize, and almost actually experience the character's hopes and dreams, as well as the pains and disappointments.

The Tech:

The program credits Benjamin Bosch as "lighting supervisor," David Bost as "sound supervisor," Laura Pates, as technical director, and Aspen Blake Jackson as stage manager. The program also acknowledges Marissa Lupkas for wardrobe and Lauren Daisy Reinhartsen for properties.

No "scenic designer" is credited; however, the creative team establishes multiple locations, using a bare minimum of set pieces -- three carpets, a chaise longue, a table-and-chair, an easy chair with a side table, and an upstage-center door unit on a slightly raised platform.

Lighting and sound combine to enhance the transitions in time and place as well as to establish changes in mood.

Sharon Lawrence's costume and hairstyle are both appropriate for the look sported by Graham in the 1980s.

The Shot, written by Robin Gerber and directed by Michelle Joyner, stars Sharon Lawrence as Katharine Graham (photo by TJ Carr)

Nice Touches:

• The subtle way in which the play establishes that the opening monologue is set in 1984 (followed later by a reference to George Orwell's 1949 novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four).
• The door unit (and its upstage-center location) serves multiple purposes, including establishing Katharine's "rebirth."
• The use of the phrase "taken" to refer to how Graham "lost" her virginity.
• The opening night talkback, featuring the playwright, the director, and the performer.
• The sound-and-light "show" creating Graham's experience of "the shot"
• Topical allusions (and comments) that make parts of the story resonate in our own contemporary setting.

Memorable Lines:

• "... set the rock-solid precedent that no U.S. President is above the law."
• "Sound is like gossip -- it travels farther than you think."
• Graham describing her mother as "Manifest Destiny in human form."
• "Does anything turn out as we hope? As we dream?"
• Graham quoting her father as having established the cardinal rule of journalism as "Tell the truth as nearly as it can be ascertained."
• "I was the newest of 'new woman' who could do anything."
• "Was it the first time that I contradicted Phil?"
• "How could I leave? Phil needed me."
• "Once -- I was destined to be a 'big shot.'"

The Shot, written by Robin Gerber and directed by Michelle Joyner, stars Sharon Lawrence as Katharine Graham (photo by TJ Carr)

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

It is a true shame that this show has only been booked for one week!

The Bottom Line:

More than just entertainment, The Shot offers a consciousness-raising lesson about the pain and the limitations caused by a paternalistic society and, especially, domestic violence and spousal abuse. It is a source of hope and support for victims and a call-to-action for "allies."

All of that said, director Michelle Joyner, playwright Robin Gerber, and performer Sharon Lawrence are a winning team that has produced an experience that is every bit as entertaining as it is engaging.

The Shot, written by Robin Gerber and directed by Michelle Joyner, stars Sharon Lawrence as Katharine Graham (photo by TJ Carr)

Robin Gerber's THE SHOT (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9-11), directed by Michelle Joyner and starring Sharon Lawrence as Katharine Graham (PlayMakers Repertory Company in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art). TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI3tnCxKu_Y&t=2s. PRESENTER: https://playmakersrep.org/, https://www.facebook.com/playmakersrep, https://www.instagram.com/playmakersrep/, https://twitter.com/playmakersrep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayMakers_Repertory_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO7crv41zzCYf9HxRDUEVdw. 2024-25 SEASON: https://playmakersrep.org/season/2024-2025/. PRC BLOG: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/our-blog/. VENUE: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/kenan-theatre/. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://playmakersrep.org/visitor-info/directions-and-parking/. KATHARINE GRAHAM (New York City-born 1963-91 publisher of The Washington Post, nee Katharine Meyer, 1917-2001): https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/fox/katharine-graham/, https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/katharine-graham/, https://www.businesshalloffame.org/katharine-graham, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9738240/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katharine-Graham, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Graham. THE SHOT (2021 one-woman show): https://theshotonstage.com/. ROBIN GERBER (Washington, DC attorney, Congressional lobbyist, playwright, and author): https://robingerber.com/, https://playmakersrep.org/artists/robin-gerber/, and https://www.facebook.com/authorrobingerber/. SHARON LAWRENCE (Charlotte, NC-born actress, nee Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence): https://playmakersrep.org/artists/sharon-lawrence/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sharon-lawrence-73954, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005130/, https://www.instagram.com/sharonelawrence/, https://x.com/sharonlawrence, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Lawrence. NOTE 1: After the 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11th, performance, there will be a post-show discussion with Sharon Lawrence and leaders of UNC's Hussman School of Journalism and Media. NOTE 2: After the 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11th, performance, there will be a post-show discussion on domestic and intimate partner violence, featuring Jada McLeod, director of Community Education Programs for the Compass Center of Chapel Hill, and leaders from Second Bloom of Chatham. TICKETS: This show is SOLD OUT. If any tickets are added, they will be $35 general admission, plus taxes and fees. Click here to see if any tickets have been added. INFORMATION: 919-962-7529 or prcboxoffice@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: PlayMakers Repertory Company.

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