REVIEW: Bunbury Repertory Club director Shelley Stubbs wasn’t sure what the turnout would be like for the debut weekend of 12 Angry Men, given the story is not widely known.
But it seemed the word had spread and it was almost a full house at the Little Theatre in Eaton on Friday night, with an expectant crowd looking forward to the courtroom drama.
Once we were settled in front of the stage the curtain pulled back to reveal the setting that would frame the entire production – a jury room in a courthouse.
Twelve men from all corners of society filed into the room and the audience learnt that they were responsible for deciding if there was “any reasonable doubt” that a young man had stabbed and killed his father.
The mood of the group was immediately established as irritable – it’s hot, no one particularly wants to be there and everyone seems keen to write the accused off as guilty and get on with their lives.
But the situation takes a turn when Juror Eight (Andrew Robinson) throws a spanner in the works by declaring the young man “not guilty.”
He doesn’t seem to have a particularly clear idea of why he feels this way, but his doubts mean that the group is forced to enter into a discussion about the case.
It seems to be fairly open and shut – the man and his son had a volatile relationship, neighbours heard the boy scream “I’m going to kill you!” and he was seen running from the house before the man was found dead with a knife in his chest.
But Juror Eight is not convinced and some of his peers are beginning to question their own convictions.
The production is an intriguing insight to the vast differences in personalities and backgrounds that may never cross paths except when they are forced into a room to decide on another man’s fate.
It becomes obvious that these 12 actors have spent the last three months working hard to get inside their characters’ heads and deliver a personality profile that the audience can easily recognise.
The “bad guy” of the group is almost immediately established, brought to the stage by David Evans.
Evans portrays an aggressive and forceful personality, pushing his views on the quieter group members and shouting down anyone who dares to disagree.
We quickly learn that every juror is influenced by their own experiences and background in the way they approach the case and their interaction within the group.
It is interesting to watch the story develop as each character struggles with their own beliefs and the vote of “guilty or not guilty” sways back and forward.
True to its name, the performance becomes very heated to the point where I jumped in my seat on several occasions as the actors almost came to blows.
The full spectrum of emotions were prompted, with some well-timed humour as well as sadness delivered by young actor Mathew Landels, who did an exemplary job of portraying a very old man defeated by life.
All 12 men are on stage for the entirety of the show and the lead roles as well as the minor parts did well to stay present and in character throughout the story.
It is well worth the drive to Eaton to see the hard work of these local talents pay off and fortunately they will return to the stage this weekend on Friday night, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at 2pm and 8pm.
For more information go to bunburyrepertory.org.au