Tess herself is no Thoroughbred hailing from some august pedigree.
She comes from a working class background, she worked hard and outperformed her Thoroughbred classmates.
But she’s a winner, nonetheless.
Jodie Comer in ‘Prima Facie’ on Broadway.Bronwen Sharp
Standing triumphant on that table, Tess launches into the thrill of cross-examining a witness.
She makes a name for her self defending men accused of sexual assault.
And she does it very well.
Jodie Comer in ‘Prima Facie’ on Broadway.Bronwen Sharp
“The law is there to protect everyone.
Protect those who accuse, protect those who are accused,” she says.
And then she’s sexually assaulted.
Jodie Comer in ‘Prima Facie’ on Broadway.Bronwen Sharp
All her legal knowledge and expertise doesn’t keep Tess from getting caught up in the system.
Colloquially, it translates to “on the face of it.”
Prima Facieis thus both an entertainment and an education.
Jodie Comer in ‘Prima Facie’ on Broadway.Bronwen Sharp
And it excels at both.
Jodie Comer is just plain f—ing remarkable.
For an hour and 40 minutes, she’s absolutely transfixing.
Jodie Comer makes Broadway debut in ‘Prima Facie’.Bronwen Sharp
Here, the depth of that range is on full display.
And of course there’s Miller’s script, stubbornly sober then searingly passionate.
The result is a night of theater that not only speaks to the culture but shifts it as well.
Suzie Miller, herself a former lawyer, takes this to task in the powerful final third ofPrima Facie.
Comer is astounding in this section.
One of the wonders of live theater is the chance to see something approaching miraculous up close and personal.
I kept wondering to myself how Comer can do this night after night for ten weeks.
As a one-woman show, the play feels especially intimate.
It has to be.
The subject matter requires it.
“Something has to change,” she pleads.
Prima Facieis a part, no matter how small, of that change.
With Comer at the center, it’s impossible to.A+
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