The Day They Shot John Lennon

by James McLure

The action of the play takes place in the street in front of the Manhattan apartment house where John Lennon was shot to death. Deeply moved and shocked by this awful event, many New Yorkers spontaneously assembled there to pay tribute to their slain idol, and it is from the interwoven stories of a cross section of these people that the author builds his play. Included are a young advertising executive and a "women's libber" who had both been at Woodstock; a group of high school students preoccupied with romantic disputes and entanglements; a pair of Vietnam vets with larceny in mind; an elderly Jewish man from a neighboring building who mistakenly thinks that the murder victim was Jack Lemmon; and a hip young black would-be comic who, in turns out, is the son of the old Jewish gentleman's doorman. Through the interaction of these people, sometimes humorous, sometimes moving, sometimes menacing, the author points up the larger significance of the event which has brought them together the shock wave which was felt across the nation by this further evidence of the violence and ugliness lurking in our communal soul.

Genres: Plays, Drama

67 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine a diverse group of people gathering at the Dakota apartments on Dec9, 1980, the day after John Lennon was shot.

This play tracks 4 distinct groups of people at that location. Different ages, different backgrounds.

I would go see this play. The tune that struck a chord with me was "Come Together" from Abbey Road. (John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news?

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t like perfect, happy endings but this worked for me. It was nice to read about John Lennon and the impact he left.