'Twelve Angry Men' At The Waterfront Playhouse

           The Waterfront Playhouse opens their 70^th Platinum mainstage season with the crackling thriller "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose. Considered by many to be the greatest courtroom drama ever written, "Twelve Angry Men" is the gripping tale of the emotional fireworks that take place in the jury room of a murder trial. "Stunning...we leave the theater a bit better than we entered it." - New York Magazine. Directed by artistic director Danny Weathers, the production features a top notch ensemble of Key West actors. Opening on Thursday, December 17^th, the play runs through January 9^th. The production is sponsored by Rudy Molinet and Marquis Properties Realty. The  opening night gala party is sponsored by Bunnie Smith and Jack Paul. The Platinum Season sponsors of the Waterfront are El Meson de Pepe and Comcast.

            "Twelve Angry Men" depicts a jury of twelve men who must decide the fate of a troubled 16-year old boy, who is accused of stabbing his father to death. The play is set in 1957, during a sizzling August afternoon in a Manhattan jury room, where what seems like an open-and-shut case becomes a twisted puzzle of prejudice and intrigue. One lone juror holds out for the possibility of the boy's innocence, attempting to persuade his fellow jurors that there is room for reasonable doubt. The stakes are especially high since the required unanimous decision of "Guilty" would mean the death penalty. Faced with playing the hangmen, the twelve jurors must first face themselves. The Washington Post calls the play, "Theatrically irresistible. Sends a chill up the spine!"

            Before there was "Law and Order" or "CSI" there was "Twelve Angry Men." Written in 1954 by Reginald Rose, it was first a teleplay for the CBS Studio One television series. Rose was inspired by his experience of serving on a jury, where he was stuck by how difficult it was to bring twelve divergent personalities into agreement. In 1957, Sidney Lumet directed Henry Fonda and an all-star cast in a film adaptation that was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In 2004, the play received its first Broadway appearance and won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and ran for 328 performances. The production then had a two year national tour of major cities throughout the country, doing record-breaking business.

            Director Danny Weathers has assembled a powerhouse cast of familiar and new actors, to portray the twelve men (and the guard) who come from divergent walks of life and are known only by their jury numbers. The play features Eric Cole (Juror 1), Kyle Caskey (Juror 2), Tom Murtha (Juror 3), Michael McCabe (Juror 4), Quincy Perkins (Juror 5), Lawrence Cohen (Juror 6), George Murphy (Juror 7), Bob Bowersox (Juror 8), George Gugleotti (Juror 9), Brian Furlong (Juror 10), Tony Konrath (Juror 11), Joe McMurray (Juror 12) and Karl Stahl as the Guard. Michael Boyer will create the period set, Carmen Rodriguez is the costume designer and David Bird will create the atmospheric lighting.

            This 90-minute, intermissionless play will have you on The Edge of your seat as the tense deliberations take you on an emotional roller-coaster. For tickets call 305-294-5015 or you may purchase tickets online at www.WaterfrontPlayhouse.org. Please call the box office for the holiday schedule, to check out their Friday Night Date Special or to purchase subscriptions.

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