REVIEW: Twelve Angry Men is an enthralling court drama
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The absorbing and heated deliberation of a court jury room takes centre stage in the north-east this week as Twelve Angry Men is performed as part of the Granite Noir festival.
Bill Kenwright Ltd's tour of Reginald Rose's play, released as a movie in 1957 starring Henry Fonda which became a classic, has reached His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.
This follows a record-breaking run in the West End.
The impressive cast is lead by Jason Merrells (Casualty, Emmerdale), Gray O’Brien (Coronation Street, Peak Practice), Tristan Gemmill (Coronation Street, Casualty), Michael Greco (EastEnders), Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier) and Gary Webster (Minder, Family Affairs), alongside a fantastic ensemble.
The story begins with the audience introduced to the 12 jurors at the end of the trial as they receive their instructions from the judge before heading into a jury room to start their deliberation.
The dozen men have the fate of a young man in their hands who is accused of the first degree murder of his father.
They are instructed that if there is any reasonable doubt they must return a verdict of not guilty.
If they find the teenager guilty his sentence will be death. They are told that their decision must be unanimous.
The play charts their deliberation as they try and reach their verdict.
The staging has a simple set up with the story contained to the jury room in the New York County Courthouse.
It is static apart from the main table which turns slowly as the 12 men go through their deliberation. Their only respite is an adjoining rest room where some scenes take place.
To add to the tension the play has no music which amplifies each sound effect – traffic on the street below, rain on the window and the fan blades spinning as the jurors try to stay cool on the hot summer's day.
Despite this simplicity the writing and intense performances from the actors enthral the audience right until the end.
Merrells plays protagonist Juror 8 whose nagging doubt sets the 12 men on an uncertain course. It is a brilliant performance from the experienced theatre and TV actor.
The antagonistic Juror 3 is played by Gemmill – another actor with extensive theatre, TV and film credits. He plays the role with great intensity as he gets more and more desperate to put forward his argument.
His performance has a more sympathetic side as the story progresses, with the audience finding out more about his life.
Greco also features in the cast portraying the obnoxious Juror 7, who is more concerned about making a baseball game in the evening than the important case.
The nasty Juror 10 is played by Gray O'Brien who portrays the role with a real menace which it demands.
The rest of the cast features Nealon, Webster, Paul Beech, Samarge Hamilton, Mark Heenehan, Kenneth Jay, Paul Lavers, Owen Oldroyd and Jeffrey Harmer. Adam Phillip Bloom is the understudy in his professional stage debut.
As the heat intensifies outside and inside the jury room each juror is forced to question their morals and values.
With the disagreement and conflict increasing the cast have an excellent rapport and interaction as they portray the life or death deliberation on stage.
It all leads to a powerful and emotional finale as the jury tries to agree its verdict.
The touring production is a superb stage play with all the elements coming together for a tense, absorbing and compelling drama.
It is the perfect addition to the Granite Noir festival which has events at venues across the city until Sunday. For further details visit www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/granite-noir
Twelve Angry Men is at His Majesty's Theatre until Saturday. Visit www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/twelve-angry-men for tickets.
