The gripping courtroom thriller, Twelve Angry Men, arrives in York in May with a star cast and a nail-biting climax.
Now in its 70th year, Reginald Rose’s knife-edge thriller Twelve Angry Men continues to resonate with audiences across the country – the play is an intricately crafted, delicate study of human nature first seen as a teleplay in the 1950s, then on stage, and finally the classic 1957 film.
Tristan Gemmill, who plays Juror 3, testifies that the show has really stood the test of time. ‘I know the film very well and I recently made my kids watch the film -they were all like blown away! At first, they were complaining saying, ‘Oh I don’t want to watch a black and white film, you’re so old!’ but ten minutes in they said ‘Oh, this is good!’ and they ended up loving it’.
‘It’s a great character study, sort of a tableau of mid-20th century American angst. Americans after the Second World War felt they had a much grander place in the world, so it was very self-reflective about how to deal with that and how to stay true to the constitutional promises that it made its citizens. It’s a very fascinating and well-constructed piece’.
Michael Greco, who plays Juror 7, agrees. ‘It definitely resonates with today’s society. You will recognise some of the characters and the way that people are in their thinking and the way they are in their personalities’. ‘I’d watched the film years ago and I loved it. When I got a call to be in the show, a lot of my friends said oh my god, this is one of my favourite films, can’t wait to come. It’s an amazing piece of writing, something that is for all ages, really from youngsters to older people who’ve known the show and have loved the film for years’.
This gripping courtroom thriller is set in the jury deliberating room, where twelve men hold the fate of a young delinquent accused of killing his father, in their hands. What seems like an open and shut case soon becomes a dilemma, with the story examining the art of persuasion, where the jurors are forced to examine their own self-image, personalities, experiences, and prejudices.
Police and prison workers are encouraged to use the Local Heroes discount for performances during the week. This offer scheme honours the local heroes and enables a night at the theatre to be more affordable. This same offer scheme can be used by all blue light professionals.