Twelve angry jurors

By Tom Todaro (ttodaro@bellsouth.net)

Please Rise for the Ladies and Gentlemen of “Twelve Angry Jurors”
DULUTH -- Twelve angry men on a jury are not all men anymore but they’re just as angry, in a show just as relevant to the American suburban landscape today as it was in New York in the 1950’s.
Under the carefully composed direction of Sherry Ingbritsen, “Twelve Angry Jurors” cooks in a melting pot of democracy, justice, and the American way—warts and all. Mrs. Ingbritsen’s adaptation of two scripts and a TV movie starring Henry Fonda is now playing at New Dawn Theater, Duluth.
A young man is accused and tried of killing his father, his fate left in the hands of a jury seemingly convinced they’ll make light work of a sure guilty plea in time to make it home for dinner. They should have packed a lunch.
One of twelve is not so sure and, well, reasonably doubtful.
Five minutes in there is no mistaking this is an actors' platter and a feast for an audience hungry for live theater in its backyard.
I would love to highlight individual performances but each player is a highlight from beat to beat in a smoothly paced show. Conflict builds this drama with themes of preconception, jaded attitudes based on personal experience, the inevitable prejudice and outright bigotry at several levels below the surface.
Polished, paced, and staged as well as any live production you’ll find, you can catch “Twelve Angry Jurors,” October 8 through 25. More information at www.newdawntheatercompany.com or (678)887-5015.