1. 12 ANGRYMEN
Matt Byrne Media
HoldenStreet Theatres
Until 29 Oct 2016
Reviewby Jamie Wright
ReginaldRose's1954 written-for-televisionplay(latera1957 filmstarringHenryFonda) isan
Americanclassic;the storyof a jurydeliberatingonthe verdictof the trial of a 16-year-oldPuerto
Rican boychargedwith the murderof hisfatherand facesthe deathpenaltyif foundguilty,it
promptshard questionsaboutarange of issuesandideas – andin manywaysis as relevanttoday
(genderrepresentationaside) asitwaswhenitwas firstproduced.
It beginsasthe jury entersthe roomon a hot afternooninNew YorkCity,witha stormbrewing
outside;afterthe firstvote iselevenguiltytoone notguilty,the solitarydissentersetsouttomake
hisfellowjurorsatleastconsiderthe possibilitythatthere isreasonabledoubtof the accused’sguilt
– and,indoingso, confronttheirbiasesandexaminetheirownlives.
Director/designerMatt Byrne has rearrangedthe seatsinthe HoldenStreetstudiosothatthat
action– setalmostentirelyaroundthe longjuror'stable –is inthe middle,withthe audience inrows
of tieredseatsonbothsides.Thisisa clevermove asitbringsthe audience closertothe action,and
makesthe space feel farsmaller,increasingthe tension.Whileitdoesmeanthat,forsome of the
playthe audience islookingatthe backsof heads,he hasthe cast move aroundthroughouttobreak
thisup.The frequentphysical confrontationsfeel completelynatural.
The pace isspot-on;intense butneverrushed.Performancesare excellentthroughout withGus
Smith,DavidHavilland,NathanQuadrio,Russell Ford,JohnR.Sabine,NevillePhillisandSamDavey
doinggoodworkin whatwouldbe consideredthe supportingroles;however,despite spendingless
time inthe (figurative)spotlight,there’snever amomentwhere theyaren’tfocusedorreactingto
the ‘bigger’personalitiesaroundthem.There are few playsmore dependentonsolidensemblework
than thisone.
The heavierliftingfallsonthe shouldersof Byrne,whohascast himself asthe obnoxious, hard-
headedJurorNo.3; DavidGrybowski islevel-headed,contemplative andfundamentallydecentas
Juror No.8; JamesMcCluskey-GarciaasJurorNo.2, initiallyquietbuteventuallydetermined;and
JamesBlack,whoinjectsmomentsof levityasthe loudmouthedJurorNo.7.But it'sJamesWhitrow
as the aggressive,bigotedJurorNo.10 who hasthe mostimpact;you can almostsee steampouring
fromhis earsas he simmers,andhisoutburstsare mesmerizing.
The product of thisvisionandthe concertedteameffortisan excellentproductionof agreat play:
engaging,thought-provokingtheatre.