Henry Fonda – Analog Artist Digital World

The Central Florida Community Arts production of 12 Angry Jurors is a modern day take on 12 Angry Men which is a courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose which was originally broadcast on Television, was then produced as a play and then made into a movie starring Henry Fonda in 1957. I sat in on a dress rehearsal for the play which is being staged in the historic courtroom inside the Orange County Regional History Center. The play is about 12 jurors deliberating about a homicide case.

This jury rather than just being men, was a fair mix of men and woman with an ethnic blend. It seemed to be an open and shut case; an 18-year old boy on trial for the stabbing and murder of his own father. Twelve Jurors were shoved in a hot, bleak, room in mid-summer New York, and all assumed to be in agreement until the votes rolled in: 11 – guilty, 1 – not guilty. Tempers grew short as the clock ticks and the temperature rises. Can they all agree on one person’s fate?

Seated center stage like Christ in the last supper was Elaitheia Quinn the female dissenting juror who saw holes in the prosecutions case. Her shadow of doubt made some angry and yet her arguments gradually swayed others. The underlying theme was that race played a role in many people assuming the youth on trial was guilty. Terry Olson did a good job as a level headed business man who wanted civility during the deliberations. Chelsey Panisch was a polished ad exec who was primarily concerned about getting back to her job. Rose Ryan Lamarre and Rich Somsky both shone as racists whose views bubbled to the surface as the defendant’s guilt slipped away.

The historic Orange County courtroom had the saying Equal and Exact Justice for ALL Men emblazoned in the upper moldings. The setting was perfect and the drama intense. The sound of rain heightening the tense scenes was so natural, since it rains just about every day her in Orlando in the summer and the juror’s complaints about the heat also seemed well justified.

With a president daily spewing racist rants on twitter, this play
is just as relevant today that as it was back in the 1950s when it was
written. The country is boiling and a viscous anger underlies every exchange on the capitol. People seem to be in a manic and angry rush at all times. Orlando seems to exist in a bubble but are we really removed from all the hatred that surrounds us? Shouldn’t the frog jump out of the pot before the water boils?

Brandishing a switchblade in the jury room seemed even more upsetting after the horror Orlando has gone through in 2016 when a maniac brought an assault riffle into an Orlando nightclub killing 49 people. This is going to be an intense show that you really shouldn’t miss. In an ideal world level heads and compassion can perhaps overshadow bigotry and hate.

Tickets for 12 Angry Jurors are $20 for general admission and $40 for jury box seats.

Orange County Regional History Center (65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32801).

Thursday, August 1 – 7:30pm

Friday, August 2 – 7:30pm

Saturday, August 3 – 7:30pm

Sunday, August 4 – 3:00pm

Thursday, August 8 – 7:30pm

Friday, August 9 – 7:30pm

Saturday, August 10 – 7:30pm

Sunday, August 11 – 3:00pm

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