Citylife in Lichfield May 2024

Twelve
Angry Men
By Jono Oates
Iremember watching Twelve Angry Men, the 1957 film, when I was
about 12-13. It was a bit heavy going for someone of my age who was,
at that time, more interested in Westerns and James Bond films, but
I remember being drawn in to the dialogue and drama of it and the
sheer emotion displayed by the actors.
Haydon, the cast all put in excellent performances and took a welldeserved
ovation at the end from the enthusiastic audience.
Twelve Angry Men is truly a very dramatic play that is sure to keep
you gripped from beginning to end. It is thoroughly entertaining and the
social commentary is just as relevant as it was in 1957 – it’s simply
superb and is, undoubtedly, one of the best, if not the best, courtroom
dramas on the screen or in the theatre – definitely a Jono
recommendation!
To see more about forthcoming productions, visit the Garrick Box
Office (during usual opening times), ring 01543 412121 or booking
online at www.lichfieldgarrick.com.
The film was based on a 1954 teleplay by Reginald Rose and was
directed by one of Hollowood’s greats, Sidney Lumet. It starred Henry
Fonda, Lee J Cobb, Kack Klugman and Jack Warden, amongst others, and
was one of the best films of 1957, winning many awards including a
BAFTA for Henry Fonda in the Best Foreign Actor category.
The action takes place in a single room, the jurors’ room at the New
York County Courthouse on a baking hot and thundery summer’s day.
Twelve jurors are tasked by the judge to find judgement in the case of
a juvenile Puerto Rican accused of stabbing his father to death after an
angry exchange. The judge tells the jurors that they must come to a
unanimous majority decision, or they have to declare a hung verdict,
which would enforce a retrial with a different jury. It appears that the
jurors are certain that the young offender is guilty as charged and they
all vote for him to face the death penalty. However, juror number 8 is
unsure about the young boy’s guilt and votes for not guilty. Now that
the outcome is 11 for and 1 against the jurors must enter a debate
about the guilt, or innocence, of the accused. As juror 8 outlines his
reasons for his decision, he reminds his fellow jurors that his guilt must
be proved ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. Will juror 8 be able to persuade
his fellow jurors to change their minds, or will he be influenced to
match the guilty verdict and send the accused to the electric chair?
Considering this play faithfully recreates a film that is nearly 70 years
old this drama, produced by Bill Kenwright Productions, certainly stands
the test of time. You could hear a pin drop in the main auditorium as it
held the appreciative audience spellbound as the jurors debated, argued,
shouted, pushed and shoved each other before finally coming to their
final decision. Jason Merrells (Agatha Raisin, Casualty, Emmerdale) plays
juror 8 determined to make sure that justice is done, while his chief
antagonist is juror 3, played by Tristan Gemill, who is adamant that the
juvenile is guilty. Well known TV stars Gary Webster (Minder), Gray
O’Brien (Casualty, Coronation Street) and Michael Greco (Eastenders)
play other juror members and Greco, as juror number 7, is excellent,
playing a wise guy, chewing bubble gum and desperate to escape the
courtroom so he can go to a baseball game that same evening!
The tension between the jurors is palpable and as the angry
exchanges escalate the jurors display their true colours, some of them
showing bigotry and racism while the foreman desperately tries to
bring them to order and to come to their final conclusions.
The set design is very clever, and as the temperatures, and tempers,
continue to rise in the jury room you can almost see the sweat on their
brows and sense the claustrophobia of twelve male egos trapped in the
same, locked, room. The accents are all very convincing and the
atmosphere and feel is very much American. Directed by Christopher
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