SANDY — 12 Angry Men, at the Sorensen Legacy Jewel Box Stage at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy, takes the audience inside of a jury deliberation room as twelve jurors decide the fate of one sixteen year old boy. This play, written by Reginald Rose, invites audiences to consider what the power of one person can be. Not only was this production well designed, well acted, and well directed, it is extremely timely as audiences are invited into the jury room to consider where they sit and what they would do.

DIRECTION

Directed by Stephanie Breinholt, this production all takes place in one room at one table. The pacing of this production is paramount – if it drags a director will lose their audience. This was luckily not the case. There was a good ebb and flow within this jury room; the intensity would rise and fall in a natural way. When a new piece of evidence was discussed we would see a buildup, pacing would increase, and things would become more excited until it reached a breaking point or boiling point. This was followed by a cooling off period which was usually slower and calmer – the men in the room needed their space from one another or they decided to return to another vote. An example of this was when Juror Number 8 began arguing with Juror Number 3. Juror Number 3 becomes much more heated, the other jurors have to move to hold him back and then we hit the breaking point of when Juror Number 3 threatens Juror Number 8; there is a pause, a realization, and then all of the jurors move on at a slower calmer pace. This pacing helped with this production’s success.

Silence and blocking were other powerful tools used by Breinholt. One of these moments was started by Juror Number 10. He started by giving a very charged monologue, during which each other juror moved to face away from him. In a powerful moment Juror Number 2 stops Juror Number 10, but this is then followed by silence from everyone on stage. This silence was broken by a window being opened, almost like the room was being cleansed by new air. The second moment is after the deliberations have ended. All of the jurors silently leave the room, and Juror Number 3 and Juror Number 8 have a moment of connection before they also leave the room. Both of these moments are very intentional – giving the audience time to consider for themselves where they stand, and what they would have done. In her director’s note Breinholt says, “What difference can one person make in the world around us? What difference can YOU make?” These moments of silence seemed to emphasize these questions. It seemed that throughout this play, just as much was said with the silence as with the actual words.

One juror intimidates another with a weapon in a production photo

Twelve Angry Men plays at HCT through June 26. | Photos: Leavitt Wells

PERFORMERS

This was an impressive group of actors. I watched the Monday/Wednesday/Friday cast and each actor had created a rich and deep character that was visible as soon as they entered the “jury room.” Within the first minute of seeing these different jurors in the room, before they uttered a real line, the audience could see their differences and quirks just by how they moved around the room. As the old saying goes – “acting is reacting.” The actors in this performance gave a master class in this as they agreed and disagreed with each other not only with their words, but with their whole beings. Standout performances belong to Paul Cartwright as Juror Number 3, Morgan Gunter as Juror Number 8, Randy Honaker as Juror Number 9, and David D’Agostini as Juror Number 10. There were a few times when it seemed someone forgot a line, or missed something, but as an ensemble they quickly recovered. This is however, early in their run, and overall these small moments did not change the effectiveness of the show. Each of these actors really became their characters set out to decide the fate of a sixteen-year-old boy.

DESIGN

The script mentions the oppressive heat many times to add to the discomfort of the situation, but the director (Brienholt), the actors, the set designer (Jenn Taylor), and the costume designer (La Beene) all contributed to this as well with their choices. Breinholt’s direction and the actors’ character choices to continually remind the audience they were warm in physicality honestly made me think a few times that I should be warm in the theater. Jenn Taylor did an excellent job of creating an off-putting space for the actors. The fluorescent lights with one flashing every once in a while and the slight haze in the room definitely added to the discomfort. La Beene’s costumes – dressing the men in long sleeves, jackets, and sweaters, also influenced this as well. The discomfort was felt in acting and in design.

Taylor’s set design also was a beautiful design that really invited the audience into the jury room. With the hanging lights and ceiling open and slanted upwards towards the audience, it felt as though we were a part of the room, instead of observing from the outside. This helped the audience to feel like one of the jurors. This invited the audience to think as one of the jurors; how we would act, how we wish we would act, and what we could or would do in this situation. With projections done by Madeline Ashton and sound design done by Griffin McMullin, I could have been fooled into thinking I was actually in a rainstorm in a tall building in NYC. This was very smooth tech that enhanced this production.

CONCLUSION

12 Angry Men is set in 1957, but honestly feels like it could be a 2025 jury room. It reminds the audience what it means to be human – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the power that one person can have. I was left thinking about what I am doing in my circles of influence, and was reminded that even the uphill battles are worth fighting. This cast and crew has put on a powerful and poignant production reminding audiences to stand up, ask questions, and not to be afraid to be one standing against many.

 

12 Angry Men plays Mondays through Saturdays with weeknight shows at 7:30PM and Saturday showings at 12:30PM, 4:30PM, and 7:30 PM, through June 26 in the Sorensen Legacy Jewel Box Stage at Hale Centre Theatre (9900 South Monroe Street, Sandy). Tickets are $24-61. For more information, visit hct.org.

These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.