 |  |  |  |  |
Usher Nonsense, Vol. 2, No. 10
TWELVE ANGRY MEN by Reginald Rose, Directed by Scott Ellis
Roundabout Theatre Company – American Airlines Theatre, 42nd Street
Through February 6, 2005
Sets – Allen Moyer (Reckless), Costumes - Michael Krass, Lights – Paul Palazzo
With Tom Aldredge (Twentieth Century) (Juror #9), Mark Blum (Long Christmas Ride
Home) (Juror #1), Philip Bosco (Juror #3), Larry Bryggman (Juror #11), Robert Clohessy
(Rounding Third) (Juror #6), Peter Friedman (Juror #10), Boyd Gaines (Juror #8), Kevin
Geer (The Foreigner)(Juror #2), Michael Mastro (Juror #5), Matte Osian (Guard), John
Pankow (Juror #7), James Rebhorn (Juror #4) and Adam Trese (Juror #12).
I'm trying to think of the Greek Play this reminds me of. Is it The Bacchae? I am reading a
biography of Gerald Stern who says that it "contains the best example of summing up the
conflict between simple wisdom grounded in great complexity, and prejudice grounded in
neurotic repression and fear." Take twelve men having this very argument, lock them in a room
with no air conditioning, in the middle of the summer, and tell them they CAN'T leave until they
all reach the same conclusion. Yipes. Glad I was only watching.
There is a lot that is relevant to today in this piece. The boy on trial is one of "them" and stays
that way. He is untrustworthy because he comes from the slums, he is young, he is street-
wise. "Them" changes appearance, but never position on the social ladder. Bottom feeder. He
is written off like a bad bit of beef. Until someone takes a second look. We go through the usual
sturm and drang, and there are few surprises.
The real disappointments come in the performances, which need to be fine-fine-fine tuned in
order to get us through the dated, but a little too close to us still, dialogue. And they just
weren't. Phil Bosco starts out with his throttle open and chugs along like that for the entire
piece. Why he doesn't have a heart attack I don't know. As the pivotal juror, Boyd Gaines got
caught somewhere between Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart, and was given blocking that is so
circular, you'd think he was counting his laps around the stage. James Rebhorn, Tom Aldredge
(Twentieth Century), Larry Bryggman, Peter Friedman and John Pankow each had moments that
caught me up. The rest were not bad or good. Adequate is the word.
Which doesn't seem enough for a life and death decision.
©2005 by Tulis McCall