As to the Meaning of Words is a stage play written by Mark Eichman, a slightly fictionalized account of a 1975 court case in which a physician who had performed a seemingly legal abortion was afterwards charged with manslaughter. The play premiered in New York in 1981, and while the names of the people involved had been changed, the facts of the case very much remained intact in this courtroom drama.
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The Play and Characters
The play opened in June 1981 at the American Theater of Actors in New York. The doctor accused of manslaughter (whose real name was Dr. Kenneth Edelin), here named Dr. Winston Gerrard, is portrayed as a rather passive character; on the opposite end of the scale is the aggressive prosecutor, with the defense counsel in the middle. There is a rather large number of witnesses for both sides. The play does not seem to favor either side or position, but is very much "just the facts".
Reception
Some reviewers criticized the author for not taking sides. The New York Times commented that "Mr. Eichman's scrupulous fairness might serve him better if he were a judge rather than a playwright." Critics were generally satisfied with the "competent cast", but found the material all in all lacked drama.
Cast and Crew
Presented by the New York Theater Studio (artistic director: Richard V. Romagnoli; managing director: Cheryl Faraone), written by Mark Eichman, and directed by Ted Snowden, the play premiered in June 1981 at the American Theater of Actors, 314 West 54th Street, with the following cast:
Dr. Winston Gerrard - Ron Foster
Alexander Thomas - Joel Fabiani
Ned Ryan - John Bentley
Judge Horace J. Wheeting - Thomas Ruisinger
Dr. Madelyn Foster - Fran Salisbury
Dr. Ramon Norriega - Felipe Gorostiza
Dr. Clarence Parrish - Bill McCutcheon
Dr. Jonathan Wallace - Dann Florek
Nurse Gloria Sanders - Stephanie Musnick
Clerk - Sally Burnett
Voices - Harry Bennet & Mary Cunniff