12 Angry Men Review: Donald Munro
Posted by: theatreventoux in 12 Angry Men, Reviews, tags: 12 Angry Men, ReviewsOriginally published at http://www.fresnobeehive.com on November 18, 2009.
Not that I’d ever want to disparage the personal hygiene of the hard-working cast members in Theatre Ventoux’s “12 Angry Men,” but thanks to director Lisa Taber’s intimate staging and the play’s evocative description of the cramped and heated quarters in this theater classic, I felt as if I were close enough to smell each and every one. This is less a trip to the theater than an actual camping-out experience in the jury room. I felt as if I’d been led into the chamber and told to crouch against the wall just before the jury arrived to begin deliberations.
Such intimacy works wonderfully for this stern, earnest play. It’s one thing to watch “12 Angry Men” it in a large, proscenium theater sitting a fair distance from the stage. It’s another to be almost on top of the actors.
This is a scrappy, bare production, but it also has a sense of authority to it — and I’m impressed with the preparation of the actors. For long stretches of the show, I felt as if I was eavesdropping on real conversations, which is a tribute to the acting and direction.
The production is definitely from a different era, as evidenced by the all-male jury, but there’s no whiff of nostalgia here. You could walk into almost any jury room today and find many of the same dynamics at work. With the majority of the jury quick to condemn the accused in the case, one lone holdout (played with a resonant, understated bravado by David P. Otero) encourages an exploration of the evidence and the concept of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
While the play (adapted by Sherman Sergel from the original teleplay by Reginald Rose) is not the most subtle dramatic creation — there’s a predictably to the story arc that feels almost forced — there’s almost something incredibly textured and layered about the details of the plot. Ambiguity reigns here. No real smoking gun is produced. Instead, we think about doubt — and how much we’d be able to tolerate when a man’s life is at stake.
The ensemble cast boasts some strong performances, including Greg Taber as an immigrant juror, Hal H. Bolen as the anemic foreman, Jaguar Bennett as a fastidious participant, and Jim Tuck as the “angry man.” There are times when the character “types” get a little stilted, such as Patrick Allan Tromborg’s gruff juror, and Tuck’s final moments are overplayed. But there’s a sincerity to the production, and an enveloping drama, that carries the audience through any rough spots. “12 Angry Men” is sobering and powerful.
