Faceless by Selena Fillinger

Give me “Law & Order;” give me “A Few Good Men;” give me sharp, witty rapid-fire dialogue from intelligent people navigating the legal system--give me a play like this any day. It felt a bit long, but I am hoping that is because I am a snail-paced reader and snappy speech will speed it along. If I could cut anything, it would be the scenes of the two women (the Muslim prosecutor and the teenage girl who got sucked into ISIS over the internet and is now on trial for terrorism) praying. It feels flowery and overly sentimental in this legal drama. You've got the girl's relationship with her dad and the flashbacks of her online interactions to help give her dimension. You've got intelligent conversation about Islam and the nature of faith. Don't try to turn it into poetry. The strength of this play is in its solidity. It does not need to be artsied up. It does not even need a set. That is the strength of sharp, incisive conversation.