Jury Still Out on 'Twelve Angry Men'

Twelve Angry Men

By Reginald Rose

Directed by Scott Ellis, Set Design by Allen Moyer, Costume Design by Michael Krass, Lighting Design by Paul Palazzo, Sound Design by Brian Ronan, Original Compositions by John Gromada

Cast (in order of appearance)
Guard, Patrick New
Juror One, George Wendt
Juror Two, Todd Cerveris
Juror Three, Randle Mell
Juror Four, Jeffrey Hayenga
Juror Five, Jim Saltouros
Juror Six, Charles Borland
Juror Seven, Mark Morettini
Juror Eight, Richard Thomas
Juror Nine, Alan Mandell
Juror Ten, Julian Gamble
Juror Eleven, David Lively
Juror Twelve, T. Scott Cunningham
Voice of the Judge, Robert Prosky

Performances: Through November 19 at the Colonial Theatre
Ticket Information: Through Ticketmaster at (617)-931-2787, online at www.broadwayacrossamerica.com, or at the Colonial Theatre Box Office (

Legal thrillers have always been my guiltiest pleasure. In a book, on the big and small screens, and in the theatre, I simply cannot get enough of the gripping suspense, the slowly unraveling mystery, and the final twist of an ending. Which is why I was certain I would love Twelve Angry Men. A solid cast, an award-winning director, and an arguably intense story based on an internationally acclaimed film-how could it go wrong?

Well, it didn't really go wrong, per se, but it didn't really go right, either. In short, it was simply a good production that still left me a little disappointed.

The story is as bare bones as its jury room setting. Originally a teleplay that was subsequently adapted for the silver screen and later the stage, Twelve Angry Men takes us directly into the world of jury deliberation. Twelve strangers are set to decide the fate of a young delinquent accused of the manslaughter of his abusive father. It seems like an open and shut case, but one juror-Juror Eight, to be exact-believes there is enough reasonable doubt to acquit, much to the frustration of his colleagues. As the story unfolds, so do the details of the crime and the biases of the jurors, and by its close, we learn that nothing is really what it seems.