@ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 28 Feb 2015 and
@ Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon 22 – Sat 27 Jun 2015
“Well, I’m not used to supposin’. I’m just a workin’ man. My boss does all the supposin’” – so says Juror #6 as he is asked to ‘suppose’ about the innocence of one young man accused of killing his father.
Twelve very different men have been brought together in one room to discuss the verdict of this crime; if guilty is the chosen outcome it means execution for the accused. Reginald Rose’s post-courtroom teleplay is a blistering account of twelve individuals clashing together as one amongst them, Juror #8, stands alone in his opinion that perhaps there is more to the case than was revealed in the courtroom. The teleplay most famously arrived in the shape of director Sidney Lumet’s black and white cinematic masterpiece with Henry Fonda as Juror #8.
Director Christopher Haydon is at the reins for this revival of the classic tale, set all within the one room. The show has a blistering, sweaty atmosphere as tempers are built up and each individual begins to question their own thoughts on the case. The cast are fantastic, each bringing a strong characterisation to their performance. Tom Conti is the quietly noble lead who starts the ball rolling but each actor gets the chance to shine. Dennis Lill is a force to be reckoned with as Juror #10, a hot headed old timer who battles with his own prejudices whilst Gareth David-Lloyd brings a slick humour to his ad exec Juror #12. All twelve performers are on stage throughout the whole production so finding small details to busy themselves amongst the proceeding discussions is quite an enjoyable experience to behold.
There is a nifty trick to Michael Pavelka‘s stage design – having the table at the centre of the stage slowly revolve so that we see all the characters from all angles. It is also reminiscent of a clock. As the accused’s time is running out, will the jurors come to a rightful decision? It’s a very classy, expertly performed drama that whilst not bringing anything particularly new to the legacy of the great script, remains a solid, dignified and thrilling production.