Twelve Angry Men at HCT

Last night I was back at Hale Theatre to see Twelve Angry Men and I think it is not only one of the best productions I have seen at HCT but it is one of the best productions I have seen anywhere! It is a sweltering afternoon in New York City in the summer of 1957 when the jurors (Bradley Moss, Bradley Mackay, Jake Ben Suazo, Neal C. Johnson, Garret Woolley, Dustin Bolt, Bryan Dayley, Dylan Hamilton Wright, David Nieman, Brian Neal Clark, Mark Fotheringham, and Derrick Dean) begin deliberating a first degree murder case involving a sixteen-year-old boy who is accused of stabbing his father to death. Eleven of the jurors are convinced that he is guilty but, because a guilty verdict carries an automatic sentence of death, one lone juror insists that they examine the case against him in detail (much to the chagrin of everyone else). As they slowly work their way through the witnesses and the evidence, tempers are frayed, recriminations are leveled, and prejudices and biases are revealed but they eventually reach a unanimous verdict. Despite the fact that this takes place in one location (the set is minimal but highly effective) in real time with lots of dialogue and very little action, it is absolutely riveting and there were moments when everyone in the audience was holding their breath (I heard a collective sigh of relief followed by nervous laughter after a particularly charged scene at the end of the first act). I was on the edge of my seat waiting in anticipation to see what would eventually change each juror's mind and I was especially struck by the scene where one of the jurors realizes that he has been projecting his troubled relationship with his son on to the defendant (this is an amazing moment). The message of this play is incredibly powerful (and timely) because it is so important to stand up for what you believe even if you are the only one standing. Finally, every member of the cast is giving a master class in acting and they all have moments of absolute brilliance but I was beyond impressed with Clark because his monologue near the end of act two is a literal show stopper (this was another moment when the audience was holding its breath). Believe me when I say that you definitely do not want to miss this thought-provoking show (tickets may be purchased here). It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through July 26.