BWW Reviews: W. Paul Wade & Dennis Duggan Shine in TWELVE ANGRY MEN

A long table and a dozen chairs. Two overhead fluorescent lights. And a place to perform. That's all you really need to stage an effective production of Reginald Rose' seminal play about the jury system, TWELVE ANGRY MEN. Add to that some of the area's most powerful actors, and you have quite a dramatic production on your hands.

Set in a New York City jury room in the 1950's, the show showcases the ultimate "one man against the world" theme when the jury of a murder trial first votes 11-1 that a (minority) defendant is guilty of killing his father. Slowly, those who voted "guilty" switch sides and allegiances, unveiling prejudices and patriarchal wounds as well as the worst representations of human nature (as well as one or two of the best).

Most people know the 1957 Henry Fonda version that ranks an astonishing #6 on the imdb list of the 250 greatest films of all time (behind The Shawshank Redemption and the first two Godfather films). There was even a less successful version with Jack Lemmon that couldn't hold a candle to the black and white original. But the play's the thing, especially this play, and wherever it's being performed, it needs to be seen.

There's a recent production of TWELVE ANGRY MEN at the Knights of Columbus Council 11680 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in New Port Richey. Despite some snafus in the preview performance that I saw, and aside from the various levels of acting (ranging from veterans at the top of their game to newbies who have never been onstage before), this is a riveting production with immersion staging that puts us right there in the jury room.

The show opens with a judge's instructions to the jury. It's quite a coup that Mike Fasano, Pasco County Tax Collector, voices the unseen judge. I love that he sounds especially Kennedy-esque here; it fits well with the time period.

No matter who's in the cast, TWELVE ANGRY MEN will not work without powerful acting chops from three key parts--Juror #3, Juror #8 and Juror #10. The good news is that this production of TWELVE ANGRY MEN features three marvelous actors in those iconic roles.

James F. Gilligan plays the part made famous by Henry Fonda--Juror #8. He is temperate, level-headed, clement, cautious, and calm. It's not as showy a role as some of the hot heads on the jury, and it can't be. For those unfamiliar with the work, you're not supposed to know Juror #8 is the lead role until the first vote. Gilligan hits just the right notes and is an extremely likable onstage presence. We're on his side. I liked that he kept his words slow and steady--a good contrast to the rabid mob foaming at the mouth around him--but sometimes he seemed to be fishing for a line and the pauses ended up sounding like they belonged in a Harold Pinter play. But this isn't just Gilligan doing it; this was an epidemic that struck most of the cast. But more on that later...

This production is fortunate to have one of the finest actors in the area in the role of Juror #3 (made famous in the movie by Lee J. Cobb): Dennis Duggan. Duggan is one of those actors that you just can't take your eyes off when he's onstage. He starts off so affable, gleeful in the fact that he's going to send some kid off to die. And then when he sees the world changing around him, he grows quite angry, as the title suggests. In fact, he's the angriest juror, and Duggan is just incredible, volcanic. At times his ferocity is frightening. It's a mesmerizing performance. This is the third time I've seen Duggan onstage--he was Lenny in Of Mice & Men, Jessup in A Few Good Men (which won him the BWW award for Best Supporting Local Performance last year) and now Juror #3 in TWELVE ANGRY MEN. (This begs the question: Does Duggan only appear in shows with the word "Men" in the title? And if so, what's next? Men in White? Two Gentlemen of Verona?) Each of his performances winds up being an out of the park homerun; is it too much to suggest that Dennis Duggan is the Babe Ruth of our local theatre scene?

And yet there is another actor who matches Duggan's energy, power and high-strung ferocity: W. Paul Wade as the bigoted Juror #10. I saw Wade as a powerful Javert in Stage West's production of Les Miserables; he's even better here. He's such a commanding presence, playing someone so horrifyingly awful and against everything reasonable people believe in, and yet he's just so damned likable. It makes it a lot scarier for audiences if a character with such a darkened soul comes across as someone we actually enjoy watching. It's called charisma, and Wade has it and then some. Although his big booming voice shakes the Knights of Columbus building, and he shouts a little more than he probably needs to, it is this performance out of the cast that we take home with us.

Maurice Batista plays Juror #11 with sensitivity and honesty, and he like Juror #8 works as a reprieve from the fury surrounding them. Tom Phol as Juror #12 doesn't look the part of a Mad Man exec, but he provides good energy to the proceedings. Edward F. Katroscik is steady as the more reasonable opponent to Juror #8 (EG Marshall played the part in the movie). Ronald Hubbs does well as the older Juror #9, but sometimes he's hard to hear, which shouldn't be the case in an immersive venue like this. And newcomer Thomas A. Garton as the hapless Juror #1 makes for a fine debut; welcome to the theatre, Mr. Garton!

However, there are problems with this production, none greater than the fumbled lines, missed cues and actors reading directly from their notebooks (this isn't a staged reading). I can understand this with some of the newbies onstage, but even a veteran wound up reading directly from a notebook, and this show is too good and too powerful to let the simple act of memorizing lines and cues get in its way. This is inexcusable and surely will be fixed as the run continues.

There was one instance in the performance I saw that must be mentioned. A switchblade plays an important part of the show. At one point, Juror #8 puts the switchblade in his jacket pocket; however, in the show I saw and for some odd reason, he couldn't retrieve it. He tries, but the switchblade is bizarrely lost in the linings of the blazer. Improvisation follows. Thankfully no juror breaks character. One of the angry men says that they'll contact the bailiff and see if he can bring in the other switchblade, but then Michael I. Wright as Juror #5 saves the day. He says that he knows the switchblade so well that he can show how to use it without the actual knife in his hands, and proceeds to appropriately mime the action. The audience loved it; there really is nothing that replaces the live theatrical experience. And Michael I. Wright wound up a hero of the production.

Director Maurice Batista deserves a round of applause for bringing this difficult production to light. He gets some amazing performances out of his cast, and he stages it quite well. The immersive staging really works in this venue, much better than some stale proscenium, and kudos to Dennis Duggan for the set concept. It makes the show more of an experience for the audience, a wild ride; we feel like flies on the wall of this heated jury room.

The person next to me, who had never seen or even heard of TWELVE ANGRY MEN before, sat on the edge of his seat; so did the rest of the audience. Even with its flaws, it packs a dramatic punch. I wish everyone could experience its timeless message of justice and standing up for your rights. All you need is a table, twelve chairs and some incredible performances. And that's certainly the case with this production.

TWELVE ANGRY MEN plays at the Knights of Columbus Council 11680 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church. 5340 High Street in New Port Richey. It runs thru March 1st . Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm; Sunday at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $15. To reserve your seat, please call (727) 846-0392.