Review: Arts Center of Cannon County's 12 ANGRY MEN

Led by a pair of stellar performances from Aaron Solomon and Darryl Deason, Arts Center of Cannon County's production of Reginald Rose's 12 Angry Men retains its crackling intensity some 61 years after it premiered on television and 58 years since the acclaimed film version starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. Adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergel, the play's themes remain imminently relevant in the 21st century, brought to life under Terry Deason's direction.

Overall, each of Deason's actors is superbly cast in their roles, bringing the 12 jurors in Rose's fictional murder trial to life with commitment and focus. So seamlessly do the actors become their characters that audiences may lose themselves in the minutiae of the courthouse deliberations, becoming a part of the vociferous struggles to mete out justice to the accused (whom we never meet, but get to know throughout the two hours of the play).

The play's universality - and the continuing evolution, or stagnant and unchanging view, of society's attitudes toward the poor and disadvantaged - is immediately apparent as the 12 angry men of its title enter the jury room to discuss the guilt or innocence of a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering his abusive father. Deason's version of 12 Angry Men is set sometime in the not-so-distant past (I would guess the late 1990s) and the circa mid-1950s dialogue remains potent, challenging audiences to think, to examine their own feelings about justice, freedom and civil rights, just as the characters onstage are forced to confront their own prejudices.

Certainly, you can quibble that the play is more effective when presented as a period piece (in this day and age, no lawyer worth his or her salt would allow a single-gender jury to consider the guilt or innocence of a client, guaranteeing a more equitable hearing of charges against that client by a jury made up of both men and women), but by staging the play in a contemporary time setting, it allows audiences to see for themselves how bigotry and prejudice remain a part of the criminal justice system in this country.

Solomon's performance as Juror #8 (the role immortalized by Henry Fonda in the 1957 film) is particularly notable in his character's resolute sense of fair play and desire to deliver justice; he readilty admits he is uncertain about the accused man's guilt or innocence, but he is determined to make an informed decision. As he delivers his arguments - which seem far more balanced than you might first imagine - he shows his character's firm belief that commanding the accused to certain death via the electric chair requires more than cursory examination of the evidence presented in court.

Darryl Deason's heart-wrenching portrayal of Juror #3 provides the perfect counterpoint to Solomon's character. A loud and outspoken blunderbuss, Juror #3 rails against people he views as lesser-than-equal to himself, all the while professing his belief in the judicial system. However, he betrays his more personal prejudices in the play's earlier moments , which ultimately will him to the play's climax.

Solomon and Deason are given ample support by the other men in the cast - including Mark Henry, David Campbell, Gerold Oliver, Mark Dixon, Matt Smith, Byron Whiting, Phil Mote, Bill Levine, Mitch Shannon and another actor whose name was left off the playbill by mistake - who provide the necessary give-and-take that helps build consensus of opinion among the contentious and outspoken group of individuals. The ensemble effectively deliver performances that are believable and authentic, each actor becoming his character without a lot of stagey artifice, much to director Deason's credit.

With a one-set script that plays out in one continuous act without intermission, oftentimes it's easy for the action to seem static and boring. Sergel's script obviously provides the requisite dramatic pyrotechnics, but it's Deason's vision for the piece that ensures an engaging and enthralling show. Her blocking of the piece is laudable: the actors' movements derive from the onstage action and provides the show with a fluid, almost cinematic feel. Cody Rutledge's impeccably designed set provides the perfect backdrop for the play's action and allows that freedom of natural movement that grows organically from the story being told.

• 12 Angry Men. Adapted by Sherman L. Sergel, based on the Emmy Award-winning television movie by Reginald Rose. Directed by Terry Deason. Presented by The Arts Center of Cannon County, Woodbury. Through October 17. For further details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com or call (615) 563-2787. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes, with no intermission.

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