United Kingdom Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, 29.9.2026 (BF) *****
Twelve men are locked in a room on a sweltering summer’s day in New York, locked in until they decide whether or not an 18-year-old youth killed his father: is he guilty or is there reasonable doubt? They are a jury and their disagreement and conflict force each of them to question their own prejudices, assumptions and moral position. The period is the 1950s, when the electric chair was mandatory for a convicted murderer, so the jeopardy is intense. Strictly this is a jury-room, rather than a courtroom, drama, but it is equally thrilling.
It is very hot, there is a ball game to watch, the ventilation fans do not work – they would all like their jury deliberations to be over as soon as possible and anyway the accused is a boy from the slums, he looks guilty. But Juror 8 (they are known only by their seat number) has doubts and persuades the others that a man’s life merits at least an hour’s discussion. They hold a vote – a unanimous verdict is required – and with only 11 votes for a guilty verdict, they reluctantly consider the evidence. Juror 8 suggests some of it is unreliable and persuades them to look at it critically – could the witnesses really have seen and heard what they claim to?
This play is a superb piece of writing. It reveals the characters and psychology of a diverse group of men through the way they speak and the way they interact with each other and at the same time deals with some important themes. It is a potent rebuttal of lynch mob hysteria: in 1950s America it was McCarthyism and reds-under-the-bed, in the 2020s everywhere it’s social media pile-ons. It demonstrates the fundamental importance of due process and the presumption of innocence (you only convict if there is no reasonable doubt) to democracy, and the fundamental importance of democracy to a civilised society. And at the same time it has you on the edge of your seat.
This is of course the play from which the 1957 film of the same name was made – according to IMDb (Internet Movie Database), the 18th greatest movie of all time. This production at the Yvonne Arnaud (directed by Christopher Haydon) is a very worthy version, with some great acting from an ensemble who do not have the name recognition of the actors in the film, but nevertheless all turn in convincing, truthful, moving and exciting performances, with only slight wobbles in their American accents. For example, Gray O’Brien is perfect in the Henry Fonda role, the quiet, thoughtful architect whose intelligence and sincerity persuade the others to stop and think too (he resembles Gregory Peck more than Henry Fonda, maybe appropriate given that Peck played the courageous lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, another great courtroom drama). Bill Ward is great as the hot-tempered owner of a messenger service and the most passionate advocate of a guilty verdict, so is Ricky Norwood as the wisecracking salesman concerned about missing his baseball game, or Kenneth Jay as the elderly naturalised American citizen with respect for the US Constitution or Ben Neelon as the easily distracted advertising executive. But as I say, they are all great.
The set and lighting are also great. The exterior light, visible through the rear windows, gets darker throughout the play, showing the passage of time (much more than the original agreed hour) and underlining the jurors’ isolation. It ends with a realistic rainstorm. The jury room part of the stage is reduced so as to increase the sense of claustrophobia, by cleverly cutting off a section at each side, one for the guard and the other for the ‘restroom’. The stage movement is impressive too – the jurors get up from time to time, change seats, look out the window, stand and stretch, just enough to keep things visually interesting rather than static.
This is a great performance of an important play which will leave you feeling wrung out but satisfied. It is a touring production, running at the Yvonne Arnaud until Saturday 3 October 2026, after which is goes north to Darlington Hippodrome, High Wycombe Swan and round the country till May 2027 (more information here). Catch it where you can!
P.S. A shout-out for the Yvonne Arnaud’s programme – packed with interesting articles about the play, about the author, and about other courtroom dramas, as well as useful pictures and biographies of the cast – so much better value than the usual theatre programme.
Barbara Ford
(Review also published in the Guildford Dragon News.)
Featured Image: The jurors take their first vote: 11 for guilty
Cast:
Juror 8 – Gray O’Brien
Juror 3 – Bill Ward
Juror 7 – Ricky Norwood
Juror 10 – Tristan Gemmill
Juror 12 – Ben Nealon
Juror 9 – Paul Beech
Guard – Graham Elwell
Juror 6 – Jeffrey Harmer
Juror 4 – Mark Heenehan
Juror 11 – Kenneth Jay
Juror 2 – Tim Maxwell-Clarke
Foreman – Owen Oldroyd
Juror 5 – Micquel Pereira
Creatives:
Writer – Reginald Rose
Director – Christopher Haydon
Associate Director – Tim Welton
Designer – Michael Pavelka
Lighting designer – Chris Davey
Sound designer – Andy Graham
Fight director – Alison de Burgh