“Innocent until proven guilty”
Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?
Stage West Community Playhouse is currently showing 12 Angry Men and that phrase is integral to the story. According to Director W Paul Wade “[Those] four words force any jury to check their baggage at the door and review the case with a dispassionate eye.”
12 Angry Men highlights the dark side of emotions and our justice system. The entire play takes place in a jury’s deliberating room as the 12 jurors attempt to decide a teenage boy’s fate. He was beaten by his father for over a decade is now accused of stabbing his father and killing him. Should the boy be found innocent and get to live freely, or is he guilty and therefore sentenced to death? Even though the story takes place in the 1950s, it’s still very relevant in today’s society. As sophisticated as we like to think we are, people still let their emotions and own personal experiences cloud their judgement.
In the play, multiple witnesses claim to have seen and heard the murder take place, however one by one their testimonies are discredited. This is a great reminder that eye witness testimony is not always reliable. Most memories are reconstructed and can be affected by personal bias or many other factors. Also, one of the juror’s complains that if the boy really was innocent then his own lawyer would have worked harder to defend him, but since the lawyer let so many things fall through the cracks, he obviously didn’t believe that his client was innocent. However, as another juror points out- the boy was poor and had a court appointed lawyer, who most likely was too busy to handle all the details. This sort of thing still happens in 2016. Walk into the courthouse in Brooksville and ask anyone who has ever had a court appointed attorney and you will find out very quickly that very few have had a good experience.
Director W Paul Wade states “Theater is an examination of the human condition… More dramatic fare challenges us to reconcile those parts of our character which make us uncomfortable. This is the challenge of 12 Angry Men. In a world made up of imperfect humans, who struggle with the failings of bigotry, prejudice, and apathy, and in which no one makes it to their day in court without first being tried in the court of public opinion, how is it possible for anyone to expect to receive a fair trial?”
This performance was so professional and it definitely is one that messes with your emotions. The acting is so good that I was absolutely swept up in it. At the start of the show, I was analyzing the blocking- trying to figure out how on earth they were going to deliver a decent performance while half of the cast has their backs to the audience, however they accomplished their goal in a very clever way. By the end of the show, I had forgotten all about blocking because I was so emotionally involved with the characters. During curtain call, it was hard for me to cheer for certain actors because I was still angry at them. I had to consciously remind myself that I was mad at the characters and not the actors… You know you have got some real talent when you play a villain so well that afterwards the audience still hates you.
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THE DETAILS:
12 Angry Men runs September 15 – 25 at Stage West Community Playhouse, 8390 Forest Oaks Blvd Spring Hill, FL. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. Contact the box office at 352-683-5113 for more information.