LAKECOUNTRYPLAYHOUSE.net

12 Angry Men

September 11 - 27, 2009

Written by Reginald Rose

Directed by Sharon Jahneke, Catherine Pfeiler, and Beverly Karzel

12 Angry Men is a gripping examination of a diverse group of jurors brought together to deliberate after hearing the facts in a seemingly open-and-shut murder trial case. They retire to a jury room to do their civic duty and serve up a just verdict for the defendant, whose life is in the balance.

The compelling, provocative play examines the twelve men's deep-seated personal prejudices, perceptual biases, indifference, anger, and fears, that threaten to taint their decision-making abilities and potentially lead them to a miscarriage of justice.

Fortunately, one brave juror votes "not guilty" at the start of the deliberations because of reasonable doubt. Persistently and persuasively, he forces the other men to slowly reconsider and review the case against the endangered defendant. LCP invites you to enjoy this powerful drama, the opening show of our 2009-10 season!

Cast

Juror #1 - Foreman............Elmo Wendorff Jr.
Juror #2 .............................James A. Skiba
Juror #3..............................Mike Crowley
Juror #4...............................Don Callan
Juror #5..............................Kyle Konetzke
Juror #6..............................Tim Abbey
Juror #7..............................Jeff Davis
Juror #8..............................Bob Hurd Sr.
Juror #9..............................John Hrobar
Juror #10............................Carl Liden
Juror #11............................Kimm Mann
Juror #12............................James Baker Jr.

Review of Twelve Angry Men - Julie Mchale of the Waukesha Freeman

Tight quarters add to tension in 'Twelve Angry Men'

Lake Country Players in Hartland has just opened its 2009-10 season with Reginald Rose’s explosive drama, "Twelve Angry Men." The play is a classic and will always be relevant as long as we depend on juries to dole out justice in the penal system.
In the case of this production, the cast of 12 jurors is an interesting collection of men of varying ages and backgrounds. They seem as random as a real jury might be, except that they are all male (I have seen this play with a mixed-gender cast, however). The differences among the jurors become more and more apparent as their deliberations continue and each person brings his prejudices, experience, observational powers and personality to bear on the question at hand. Juries and courtroom scenes remain eternally interesting to most of us. Our intellectual and emotional selves are stretched, our abilities to distinguish between fact and inference are challenged, our capacity to empathize, to reason, to influence and be influenced by others - all these factors are brought into the mix.

A young man allegedly killed his father, or so it was reported by two nearby witnesses: a neighbor in the apartment below and one across the El tracks. Shouting was heard in the father’s apartment, the boy was seen running away and the father was found stabbed to death with a knife similar to one the boy supposedly owned. An open-and-shut case, or so 11 of the 12 jurors reported on the first jury vote.

Now the dilemma begins. The dissenting juror starts questioning some of the evidence and the conclusions drawn by the other 11 jurors, and what follows comprises the fascination of the jury process and this play. These 12 strangers and we the audience begin to understand each juror and how his own past experiences are affecting each man’s present perceptions. Some jurors are, of course, more influential than others. Some smolder and explode, some pride themselves on being super-rational, some begin to divide into good guy-bad guy camps, some use this meeting as a forum for playing the preacher. The foreman of the jury tries to keep things under control, but his job proves difficult.

It is a hot day, the room is small and the jurors want to get on with their own lives as soon as possible - perfect conditions for tension and conflict. Whenever you trap people in a situation they’d rather not be in, you run the likelihood of something unpredictable happening. That’s probably why there are so many dramas set in prisons or on ships - or in jury rooms. Feeling trapped can foster many outcomes, few of them good.

Overall, the performances were worthy. There were times when lines were late in coming and some of the movements about the room seemed contrived rather than motivated. But the passion of some of the jurors was plausible and gripping, especially that displayed by Bob Hurd, Kyle Konetzke and Mike Crowley. Jim Skiba, Kimm Mann and Jeff Davis were also successful in creating very distinct personalities. Others in the cast who contributed to the overall impact of the play include Tim Abbey, Jim Baker, Don Callan, John Hrobar, Carl Liden and Elmo Wendorf.

The play was co-directed by Sharon Jahneke, Catherine Pfeiler and Beverly Karzel, so kudos to them for their fine work in opening the 50th season at Lake Country Players. Call 367-4697 for times and tickets. The production runs through Sept. 27.