The play is set in Illinois in June 1844, in the aftermath of the martyrdom of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and his older brother Hyrum at Carthage Jail. The killings had been executed by a mob, which made it impossible to determine which rounds fired actually killed the Smiths. A grand jury found sufficient evidence, and five prominent citizens were charged with not actually shooting the Smiths, but with conspiracy to commit murder. "Hancock County" chronicles the trial's 12 eventful days. " It is centered around redemption, told through the stories of the men who murdered Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It illustrates second chances and how to work hard to change your life," said Tim Threlfall, director of the original BYU production.

"Sometimes hurt and the will of the Lord do travel the same road," says Brigham Young in Tim Slover's new "Hancock County." Brother Brigham is a minor figure in the play, but that statement reverberates throughout it as a reminder that no matter how much we might want something, God usually has more information on the matter than we do. ... "Hancock County" sets up a familiar theatrical and cinematic situation: the legal trial of a bad guy everyone wants to see punished. ... It sets up a fine array of historical characters, too ... "Hancock County" moves swiftly from one scene to another, using and re-using minimal set pieces and props. It also employs the occasional dose of dry humor, such as when the prosecuting attorney says he hopes he isn't arrested for contempt of court, because "I don't like my chances for surviving the night in Carthage Jail." ... Whether LDS Church history is your thing or not, "Hancock County" is an engrossing depiction of it. Grade: A- -- Eric D. Snider, Provo Daily Herald.

"Hancock County" is a very fine play; an intelligent, thrilling, tightly-drawn courtroom drama/tragedy that unfolds into a meditation on America, violence, and forgiveness. It bears comparison to Robert Bolt's "A Man For All Seasons" ... Slover deftly deals with the folklore of retribution that grew up around the "fate of the persecutors." He reminds us that justice in this world is seldom so neat. The heart of the play is, interestingly enough, the King Follett discourse of Joseph Smith. Lamborn eventually comes to realize that Smith's enemies had to kill him because they could not stand the responsibility Joseph's vision would place on them. And Brigham Young finally comes to realize that sometimes you just have to "let go" in order to move on -- and that sometimes the way of the Lord will get you hurt (one of the toughest lessons we have to learn and accept in this life.) This is not a play that appeals just to the parochial interests of LDS audiences. Non-Mormons should find much to appreciate here; the magnificently drawn character of "gentile" Josiah Lamborn should be a vehicle through which many people can get a grip on what happens. Indeed, he contributes the central insight of the story: no one is just "one thing or the other." A crucial scene occurs when Eliza Graham must testify about her knowledge of the murderers' boasting. But she has also become aware of the secret system of "spiritual wifery" in Nauvoo and the pain it has caused the women, and she has been embittered by it. Lamborn tells her that everyone is human, even prophets; and "ain't that what you're supposed to do, forgive?" It's a powerful moment in a play that is full of them. -- R. W. Rasband Association for Mormon Letters.