“The Two Lives of Napoleon Beazley” is a new play by John Fleming that explores the true sto­ry of a 17-year-old African-American defen­dant who was sen­tenced to death for a car­jack­ing and mur­der in Texas. The vic­tim was the father of a fed­er­al judge. Using a vari­ety of fac­tu­al resources, includ­ing court tran­scripts and media accounts, the play exam­ines race and the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem before the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that the death penal­ty for juve­niles vio­lates the Constitution. Beazley was one of the last juve­nile offend­ers exe­cut­ed in the U.S.

The Austin Chronicle writes that ​“The Two Lives of Napoleon Beazley” is:

The most impor­tant play to see in Texas right now.… Voicing all the oppos­ing view­points on the issues of racism, judi­cial nepo­tism, ageism, and cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, [this play] presents the sto­ry dra­mat­i­cal­ly with heart­break­ing scenes that are not at all con­trived or insin­cere. Fleming’s well-knit play unfolds effort­less­ly before us, evok­ing pathos for injustice.

The play is cur­rent­ly hav­ing its New York City Premiere at the Flamboyan Theater of the Clemente Soto Velez Center, 107 Suffolk Street, NY. For more infor­ma­tion, vis­it:

​“The Two Lives of Napoleon Beazley”
Flamboyan Theater at the CSV Cultural Center
107 Suffolk Street
NY, NY
Feb 21 – March 16. Thurs.- Sat. @ 8pm, Sun @ 7pm
(Posted February 28, 2008). See Juveniles and Multi-media.

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