The Fear of 13 Broadway Tickets, News, Info & More
James Earl Jones Theater (Broadway)
138 West 48th St. New York, NY
The Fear of 13 tells the extraordinary true story of Nick Yarris, who spends more than two decades on death row for a murder he insists he did not commit. Through a series of prison visits with a volunteer named Jackie, Nick traces a life shaped by impulse and consequence. As Nick and Jackie’s conversations deepen, the line between witness and participant blurs, forcing both to confront what justice demands, what belief requires, and the perilous distance between true freedom and the illusion of self-determination. By turns devastating, darkly funny, and life-affirming, The Fear of 13 is a powerful exploration of truth and trust, conscience and connection.
The play is written by Lindsey Ferrentino and based on the documentary of the same name.
The Fear of 13 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Fear of 13
‘The Fear of 13’ Theater Review: Adrien Brody Brings Unquestionable Commitment to a Death Row Drama Dulled by Pedestrian Writing
5 / 10
At one point Nick’s protracted wait becomes so agonizing that he petitions the state to set an execution date. He is subsequently cleared of all charges after conclusive DNA evidence proves his innocence. That should make for a powerful indictment of a legal system in which a man’s life can be put on hold for more than two decades because of the ineptitude of law enforcement and the judiciary. But Ferrentino struggles to synthesize the true story’s larger themes, so even if Brody has some affecting moments in the closing scenes, the play is flat, emotionally ineffectual.
‘The Fear Of 13’ Broadway Review: Adrien Brody Stars In Dark Tale Of Justice So Very Long Delayed
6 / 10
Still, when The Fear of 13 finally arrives at something close to Nick’s Rosebud revelation, we’re meant to connect the dots between past trauma and current predicament, and it is a tenuous connection at best, a possible cause for an effect we’ve been told repeatedly to distrust. The climactic scene, set amidst a downpour evocatively conveyed on the moody, spare, grid-like and often pitch-dark set (Arnulfo Maldonado is the scenic designer, with lighting design by Heather Gilbert), does provide a deeper meaning to the play’s title beyond the word – triskaidekaphobia – that Nick taught himself in prison (no spoilers), but if it’s meant, as it seems to be, to somehow explain the beginnings of outlaw behavior and character faults that got Nick in deeper water than he ever could have imagined, we’re left with the unsettling feeling that The Fear of 13 is asking the victim to shoulder at least a modicum of the blame that should fall entirely on a grossly unfair system, and there’s no justice in that.
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The Fear of 13 History
Other Productions of The Fear of 13
| 2026 | Broadway |
Broadway |
The Fear of 13 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Bryan Carter (music supervisor and arranger) |
| 2026 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Heather Gilbert |
| 2026 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Heather Gilbert |
| 2026 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Lee Kinney |
| 2026 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Lee Kinney |
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