Matt Byrne Media. Holden Street Theatres. 27 Oct 2016
12 Angry Men is a play about deliberation. Unlike most whodunits or crime dramas 12 Angry Men is not about innocence or guilt, but rather the interpersonal relationships which playout in the community microcosm of the jury. The characters have myriad multi-layered interactions shaped by contextual, processual, temporal, social, political and emotional factors, all of which are littered with prejudice.
The premise of the play surrounds the conviction of a young Puerto Rican boy who is accused of murdering his father, and the jury’s requirement to reach a unanimous decision on the outcome. Execution is the penalty for a guilty sentence.
Opening in the court room we find 12 jurors, frustrated both by a relentless heatwave and now three-day long trial in which the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the defendant is guilty. There is a vote, and all but one votes guilty. The protagonist is juror number 8. An architect. He doesn’t believe the defendant is innocent or guilty – he actually doesn’t know what to think – only that he wants to talk it through before making a decision that could end a young boy’s life. And so, the deliberation unfolds.
Written by Reginald Rose as an adaption of the 1954 teleplay of the same name, the dialogue is characterised by defensive arguments, personal agendas, ineffective listening, and personal and racial prejudice. It makes for a gripping piece of theatre.
The Matt Byrne Media production stars David Grybowski in the role of juror 8, as made famous by Henry Fonda in the film. Grybowski is pragmatic and considered. His characterisation provides a neutral zone from which stronger and weaker characters can centre themselves, and then leverage from. Grybowski’s performance is thoughtful and well balanced. Juxtaposed to juror 8 is juror 3 played by Director/Designer, Matt Byrne. Byrne’s characterisation sits in stark contrast to Grybowski’s. He never settles, is rarely considered, and flies off the handle in fits of cringe worthy hypocrisy. Byrne’s penultimate emotional breakdown is affecting stuff, and some of the best work one has seen him do in recent performances.
There are no weak links in this cast but there certainly are a few standouts. Juror 7 is played by James Black with a tremendously believable characterisation. Black gives a consistently strong performance but really comes into his own when his characters convictions are internally challenged. David Havilland gives a measured performance as juror 4 and James Whitrow is positively menacing as the outwardly racist juror 10.
Angus Smith’s Foreman strikes a nice balance between being jovial and forthright, and James McCluskey-Garcia’s juror 2 is reticent and dweebish until he is pushed too far. Nathan Quadrio plays juror 5 with sensibility and strength, and Russell Ford is urbane in his treatment of juror 6. John R. Sabine is captivating as the jury’s elder and always has a poignant thought to add and Sam Davy is direct and engaging as juror number 12. Neville Phillis imparts juror 11 with respectability and logic and the cast is rounded out by Rohan Richards as the guard.
Byrne has designed a winner with the seating traversing both sides of the action. It adds an element of realism to the staging and gives both sides of the audience and interesting perspective on the reactions of the rest of the room. One personally discarded the innocent/guilty chip early in proceedings as it was too hard to read in the dark and distracted from the on stage action.
The concept of reasonable doubt and the complexities of establishing undeniable fact in a trial such as this make for interesting thinking and debate. The play may harbour irrelevancies in gender equality, but it remains thematically fresh and interesting despite this.
Matt Byrne has created a compelling, exciting, and interesting evening of theatre which is fully deserving of the praise it has received. The season is shortly to close, and many of the performances are now sold out, but it is still worth your attention.
Paul Rodda
When: 12 to 29 Oct
Where: Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: seatadvisor.com
