12 Angry Jurors is based on the 1957 film titled 12 Angry Men written by Reginald Rose. In the black and white film, the jurors were all men, but in this modern adaptation more that half of the jurors are women. Aléa Figueroa plays the role that Henry Fonda played in the film. As the jury voted for the first time she had a look of terror on her face as every other juror voted guilty. From that moment on, she commanded attention. She had to convince all the other jurors that there was a reasonable doubt. I went to the rehearsal expecting to see 12 good old boys debate the case, but only one man in the cast fit that bill. It was the women in the jury who were able to pick apart the testimony and weigh the evidence.
The play deals with deep rooted racism that still persists today which is the reason many of the jurors were convinced of the defendants guilt from the start. Chaz Krivan played the part of a juror who angrily argued for guilt even as the rest of the jury began to sway. Director, Nicholas Murphy was the person who opened the locked front door to allow me into the rehearsal. He watched the dress rehearsal from several different seats to get a feel for the staging. One juror just wanted to reach a verdict so he could get to a baseball game he had tickets to. Ironically, I had just sketched a trial where a juror was wearing a Green bay Packers jersey and the lawyer in his closing statement pointed out to the fact that there was a game that night.
I liked this production that had a jury of men and women since it is more true to what would happen today. When the good old boy juror demonstrated the use of a knife by almost stabbing Aléa, there was the underlying hints of aggression towards women that comes with sexism. Some jurors were recent immigrants and they fully understood the responsibility that came with being a juror while long time citizens just wanted the process be quick and painless.
Mark Your calendars! This is a production that is well worth seeing. You will leave the theater thinking and maybe wonder how you would have stood in that jury room. I can vouch for the fact that it is a short drive to the Princess Theater
(115 W 1st St, Sanford, FL). Call: (407) 494-8474.
Tickets are:
Adults $20
Students $15 (under 25 with valid ID)
Showtimes:
Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 2:00pm
Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, October 10, 2014 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 8:00pm
Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 2:00pm
Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, October 17, 2014 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 8:00pm
Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 2:00pm