The Lifespan of a Fact
Into this era of "alternative facts" and "fake news" comes the hilarious Broadway play The Lifespan of a Fact. It's a smart and thoughtful reflection on just what is and is not true. Daniel Radcliffe plays obsessive intern fact-checker Jim Fingal; Cherry Jones portrays fierce magazine editor Emily Penrose; and Bobby Cannavale is egotistical essayist John D'Agata. All three turn in star performances.
Fingal is tasked with fact-checking D'Agata's 15-page essay on the suicide of a Las Vegas teenager. He generates 130 pages of queries the weekend before the magazine goes to publication. "I'm not interested in accuracy; I'm interested in truth," declares D'Agata. But what is truth if it is not based on facts?
The three eventually convene at D'Agata's home, where both physical and intellectual fights break out. The play by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell is based on a book of the same name by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal. (Yes, this strange premise is based on a real-life fact-checking conflict over an article that appeared in The Believer.) Playwright Kareken worked as a policy analyst for Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. As the nation grapples with the same maddening questions of how verifiable facts fit into our understanding of life, you will not regret seeing this play, and that's a fact.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "The Lifespan of a Fact."
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
I essentially started three weeks past and that i makes $385 benefit $135 to $a hundred and fifty consistently simply by working at the internet from domestic. I made ina long term! “a great deal obliged to you for giving American explicit this remarkable opportunity to earn more money from domestic. This in addition coins has adjusted my lifestyles in such quite a few manners by which, supply you!”. go to this website online domestic media tech tab for extra element thank you .
http://www.Mesalary.com