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New Jersey has this stunning long-running hit that many haven't caught up with yet.
London had its long-running The Mousetrap, and off-Broadway had The Fantasticks. But New Jersey has a stunning long-running hit that many haven't caught up with yet. Lindbergh and Hauptmann: The Trial of The Century, a re-enactment of the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann for the kidnapping and murder of the infant son of American icon Charles Lindbergh, is now in its 12th year in Flemington.
Small wonder: The set is the original courthouse where the trial took place, beginning on Jan. 2, 1935. The audience sits in the original stalls for the public and some (for an additional $10) sit in chairs in the original jury box.
A strong cast covers the principals in the case. Judge Thomas Trenchard has been played for eight years by Douglas Maxwell. Helen Stafford (Anne Morrow) and Doug Moore (Charles Lindbergh) have been with the show 12 and three years, respectively. The controversial housemaid Betty Gow is handled by Pat Voitel, who created the role in 1990 and now lives in Florida but returns at regular intervals to pick up the part again.
The competing attorneys — Edward Reilly for the defense (Ed Scott in his 12th season) and N.J. Attorney General Wilentz (Kevin Young, also in his 12th year) have mastered every move and nuance to perfection. The Hauptmanns, Anna and Bruno (Anna always called him Richard, never lost faith in his innocence and to her dying day called for his absolution) are played by the real-life husband-and-wife team of Debbe Lockwood and Bill Nutt.
Others from the large number of witnesses who actually testified at the trial are: Dr. John F. Condon (known to the press as "Jafsie," an acronym of his initials) played here by 11-year veteran Bud Moore, who started in the show as the Judge; Arthur Koehler, the government wood expert who many feel presented the most damaging evidence to Hauptmann's guilt (Robert de Castro in his fourth year); and Amandus Hochmuth, a local farmer who testified that he saw Hauptmann in his car on the day of the crime near the Lindbergh estate (Darwin "Gus" Franceschi's 10th year).
Plus the court people: the Bailiff, Bruce Perhach, a newcomer; the reporters (known then as sob sisters) Vida Allworthy and Laura Oppenheimer, the former in her seventh year with the show, the latter, a newcomer.
All this is courtesy of the creative genius of Harry Kazman, who wrote, produced and directed the show. He has used much from the original court transcripts, neatly edited them to about two hours (the trial itself took six weeks) and built in segues via radio summations (John Anastasio as celebrated announcer Martin Block.
Moreover, Kazman has done such a balanced job of presenting the material that minus the atmosphere of the 1930s, which included a loathing of things German and an innocence about police activities and expert opinions, one could find the defendant not guilty. It was said, at the time, that Wilentz presented only part of his evidence, so certain was he that the jury would convict.
The jury in Flemington returned a verdict of guilty, without recommendation of mercy. Hauptmann was sentenced to death and went to the electric chair on April 1, 1936.
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