"12 Angry Men " (Sidney Lumet's adaptation from 1957 starring Henry Fonda) is one of my favorite movies, surprisingly although it received excellent reviews and three Academy Award nominations it was not a box office hit, only after being broadcasted on TV it began to win the audience and now is perceived as a must see classic.
Therefore I was a bit anxious to see a stage adaptation at Garrick Theater, starring Martin Shaw, Jeff Fahey, Nick Moran and Robert Vaughn. Did it live up to the movie?
The answer is a definite Yes. Actors are absolutely fantastic, I especially enjoyed Miles Richardson playing Juror 10 a disgusting, angry, racist, his every word dripped with hate, made me feel very uncomfortable and that's for me what true art is about - evoking the feelings within a spectator. Martin Shaw and Robert Vaughn show true class, Jeff Fahey makes a rather unsympathetic character believable and moving (spoiler alert!!) the last scene when his character brakes down and cries for a length of time that seems like an eternity is a true display of his acting abilities, it was so heart-wrenching that I just wanted to climb on stage and give him a hug.
Long after the play was finished I was wondering how do you do this, how do you build yourself up to be able to display this level of emotional intensity?
Are you so empathic and in tune with character you're playing, or are you reaching for one of your life's sad experiences? And how are you able to do it twice a day in front of hundreds of people?
This is a true magic of theater.
"12 Angry Men" is still on at Garrick Theater go and see it for yourself, I truly recommend it. http://www.garrick-theatre.co.uk/Twelve-Angry-Men.html
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