Twelve Angry Men
Theatre Royal,
Bath
On until Saturday
01225 448844
THE 1957 film, Twelve Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet and showcasing a stunning performance by Henry Fonda, set the bar high when it comes to courtroom drama.
The piece, written by Reginald Rose following his own experience as a juror on a manslaughter case, is grippingwwww stuff.
The story centres on a jury tasked with deciding whether or not a 16-year-old youth is guilty of murder.
Eleven of the 12 are convinced he did it and want a quick conclusion. One man stands strong and argues his case.
In the film it’s Henry Fonda, at the Theatre Royal it’s the excellent Tom Conti.
The one-set jury room of Twelve Angry Men transfers perfectly to the stage.
Conti is superbly supported by a massively-experienced cast with theatre and film credits as long as your arm.
But where the film was oppressive, claustrophobic and not a little disturbing, I found this production a little on the light side.
I wasn’t expecting laughter, albeit at what were admittedly some clever one-liners.
And I missed the sheer sweat and grime that Lumet was able to convey in the film. Much more difficult to reproduce on stage.
Minor gripes though, in what is a very compelling production.
PAULINE LEIGHTON
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here