12 Angry Men Cure Political Overload

September 3, 11:17 AMDenver Theater ExaminerDeb Flomberg

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Denver Theater Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The cast of 12 Angry Men, presented by Spotlight 
Theatre Company; Photos by C. Smith 

I sat on a jury once, a few years ago. I remember the feeling of importance, of patriotism, and pride as we collaborated in the jury room. Twelve people from twelve different backgrounds all meeting to determine the fate of another. Admittedly, my jury was not meeting to discuss a murder trial, though it was a felony. In that instance, we also had one person that disagreed with the rest of us, and we spent considerable time trying to reach a unanimous decision. We did reach one, and it was one that I fully believed was the right and true verdict. However, as I was driving home that night I was struck by the stories of all the other jurors. Twelve strangers, all with diverse backgrounds and stories to tell. We all brought our own unique perspectives to this trial. I wished I had known more about each juror. I wished I had a chance to get in the heads of why everyone felt the way they did about that particular case. Spotlight Theatre Company’s Production of 12 Angry Men does just that.

At the John Hand Theatre, the sparkling new home of Spotlight Theatre, Linda Suttle directed a startling and strong version of the Reginald Rose classic. The tension as the 12 Juror’s walked into the jury room was palpable and the audience was waiting for the drama to unravel. The set was beautifully appointed and worked perfectly in the intimate space while there wasn’t a weak spot in this cast. The 12 jurors were perfectly cast, each with their own background and story to tell. And each juror did just that. As they got their opportunity to step forward, each took their chance to shine.  Paul Page plays Juror 8, the lone dissenter, that struggles to stay true to what he believes is right. Page steps into the role with a beautiful subtleness that is a welcome contrast to the shocking and strong Juror 3, played by Robert Kramer. Roger Simon’s portrayal of Juror 9 was heart wrenching and beautiful, bringing tears to my eyes with every word. Albert Banker’s Juror 11 was the best depiction of this juror I’d seen on stage. Juror 11 is foreign, and so often the actor gets so lost in the accent that the true heart of the character is lost. Banker does a brilliant job with this role, as he truly glows on that stage. Quite simply, each actor brought everything they could to each character, making the situation that these men were thrust into a sharp and intelligent drama that kept the audience with them until the very end.

12 Angry Men runs weekends through September 27th and it will sell out. Buy your tickets on line now. Then get ready for an intense and powerful evening at the theatre. 

Featuring amazing performances by:
Juror 1 - Bernie Cardell
Juror 2 - Bob Leggett
Juror 3 - Robert Kramer
Juror 4 - Rich Beall
Juror 5 - Chris Bleau
Juror 6 - Christian Mast
Juror 7 - Rick Bernstein
Juror 8 - Paul Page
Juror 9 - Roger Simon
Juror 10 - Jesse Perlman
Juror 11 - Albert Banker
Juror 12 - Aaron Carnevale
Bailiff - Luke Terry