TWELVE ANGRY MEN
By Reginald RoseGranbury Theatre Company
Direction by Kent Whites
Scenic Design by David Whitlock
Stage Management by Suzanne Loy
CAST:
Bailiff - Matt Mills
Juror 1/Foreman - Marc Neerman
Juror 2 - Adam Livingston
Juror 3 - Jay Cornils
Juror 4 - Kevin Poole
Juror 5 - Gabriel Whites
Juror 6 - Hal Schulz
Juror 7 - Paul Kempf
Juror 8 - Kent Whites
Juror 9 - Bob Yeaman
Juror 10 - Michael Lain
Juror 11 - Jeff Loy
Juror 12 - Cody Whitlock
Reviewed Performance: 3/16/2013
Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
Granbury Theatre Company?s presentation of Twelve Angry Men keeps you guessing with pure, on the edge of your seat excitement and entertainment!
Twelve Angry Men is a play by Reginald Rose adapted from his 1954 teleplay of the same title for the CBS Studio One anthology television series. The play's Broadway debut came fifty years later, on October 28th, 2004, by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 328 performances.
The drama depicts a jury forced to consider a homicide trial. At the beginning, they have a nearly unanimous decision of guilty, with a single dissenter of not-guilty, who throughout the play sows a seed of reasonable doubt. The twelve men must unanimously decide on a verdict of guilty or not guilty. The case at hand pertains to whether a young man murdered his own father. Several of the jurors have different reasons for discriminating against the witness: his race, his background, and the troubled relationship between one juror and his own son.
The theatre is a well-designed intimate space with antique seats and a well laid-out house area. Upon entering you are immediately taken in by a spectacular, forced perspective set highlighted by perfectly chosen, dark, un-nerving instrumental pre-show music. The combination of the two raises your uneasiness in preparation for what becomes a wonderfully presented production.
Kent Whites? direction of this emotionally charged play is very well done. Every character?s movement is motivated and helps you follow this intricately written story. He uses the set space without flaw and you are always involved in the action. I particularly enjoyed the staging of some of the intimate moments between some characters and their placement away from the main action. Overall, Mr. Whites? creative vision is clear and very well executed.
Scenic design by David Whitlock is nothing less than a work or art! He designed a multi-dimensional, forced perspective set creating the jury room. The construct is remarkable and detailed, even down to the three amber globe lighting fixtures that get smaller as they progress upstage. A very nice touch is adding the grid of what would be a drop ceiling in the room, continuing the perspective yet not interfering with the lighting.
A monochromatic color scheme of grays, blues and texturing give the feel of a sterile environment that only adds to the tensions of the play. The huge table in the middle of the room also builds in a forced perspective, and works splendidly allowing every performer and every action to be seen. This set design is remarkable and Mr. Whitlock deserves a round of applause just for the design!
The costuming is very well put together and matches each character?s personality. Well-fitted suits and jackets on the ?professionals? and unkempt shirts and pants for the younger, less worldly ?average guy? works perfectly. Everyone looks very comfortable in their designs and all of them accent the production.
This play requires a very strong ensemble cast to make it flow and work well. Mr. Whites? casting is perfect for this production and every member is strong and presents a very professional show.
Line deliveries are excellent and the timing is spot-on. There are some very emotionally charged scenes in this play and every one of them is presented with passion, conviction and desire, achieving excellence in keeping true to the author?s words.
Honestly, I cannot say any one person stands out any more than the other, as this entire cast holds the stage wonderfully. They are the truest example of an ?ensemble? cast? coming together without flaw to present a great story! Each and every member on the stage shines throughout the evening, making you leave astounded by their talent. Bravo to the ENTIRE cast on an excellent job well done!
Granbury?s Twelve Angry Men is a well-produced, thought-provoking work performed by a stellar cast, making it a production very much worth seeing.
Twelve Angry Men is a play by Reginald Rose adapted from his 1954 teleplay of the same title for the CBS Studio One anthology television series. The play's Broadway debut came fifty years later, on October 28th, 2004, by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 328 performances.
The drama depicts a jury forced to consider a homicide trial. At the beginning, they have a nearly unanimous decision of guilty, with a single dissenter of not-guilty, who throughout the play sows a seed of reasonable doubt. The twelve men must unanimously decide on a verdict of guilty or not guilty. The case at hand pertains to whether a young man murdered his own father. Several of the jurors have different reasons for discriminating against the witness: his race, his background, and the troubled relationship between one juror and his own son.
The theatre is a well-designed intimate space with antique seats and a well laid-out house area. Upon entering you are immediately taken in by a spectacular, forced perspective set highlighted by perfectly chosen, dark, un-nerving instrumental pre-show music. The combination of the two raises your uneasiness in preparation for what becomes a wonderfully presented production.
Kent Whites? direction of this emotionally charged play is very well done. Every character?s movement is motivated and helps you follow this intricately written story. He uses the set space without flaw and you are always involved in the action. I particularly enjoyed the staging of some of the intimate moments between some characters and their placement away from the main action. Overall, Mr. Whites? creative vision is clear and very well executed.
Scenic design by David Whitlock is nothing less than a work or art! He designed a multi-dimensional, forced perspective set creating the jury room. The construct is remarkable and detailed, even down to the three amber globe lighting fixtures that get smaller as they progress upstage. A very nice touch is adding the grid of what would be a drop ceiling in the room, continuing the perspective yet not interfering with the lighting.
A monochromatic color scheme of grays, blues and texturing give the feel of a sterile environment that only adds to the tensions of the play. The huge table in the middle of the room also builds in a forced perspective, and works splendidly allowing every performer and every action to be seen. This set design is remarkable and Mr. Whitlock deserves a round of applause just for the design!
The costuming is very well put together and matches each character?s personality. Well-fitted suits and jackets on the ?professionals? and unkempt shirts and pants for the younger, less worldly ?average guy? works perfectly. Everyone looks very comfortable in their designs and all of them accent the production.
This play requires a very strong ensemble cast to make it flow and work well. Mr. Whites? casting is perfect for this production and every member is strong and presents a very professional show.
Line deliveries are excellent and the timing is spot-on. There are some very emotionally charged scenes in this play and every one of them is presented with passion, conviction and desire, achieving excellence in keeping true to the author?s words.
Honestly, I cannot say any one person stands out any more than the other, as this entire cast holds the stage wonderfully. They are the truest example of an ?ensemble? cast? coming together without flaw to present a great story! Each and every member on the stage shines throughout the evening, making you leave astounded by their talent. Bravo to the ENTIRE cast on an excellent job well done!
Granbury?s Twelve Angry Men is a well-produced, thought-provoking work performed by a stellar cast, making it a production very much worth seeing.
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
Granbury Theatre Company
110 N. Crockett Street, Granbury, TX 76048
Runs through March 30th
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30pm and Saturday at 3:30pm
Tickets are $17.00 - $20.00.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit: www.granburytheatrecompany.org or call the box office at 817-579-0952.
Granbury Theatre Company
110 N. Crockett Street, Granbury, TX 76048
Runs through March 30th
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30pm and Saturday at 3:30pm
Tickets are $17.00 - $20.00.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit: www.granburytheatrecompany.org or call the box office at 817-579-0952.
