Twelve Angry Men
Program Cover
By Reginald Rose
Adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergei
Review by Ernest Edwards
Lyric Arts has a hit on their hands with the classic drama Twelve Angry Men now playing on the Main Street Stage in downtown Anoka. The crowd was really drawn into this play opening night.
I had first seen this play on tour in 2006, which featured George Wendt and Richard Thomas, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. To this day I still have not seen the movie based on the play, got to put that on my to do list. The Lyric Arts production is a lot more up close and personal than when I had originally seen on it tour.
It’s 1958, it’s a hot summers day at the Cook County Courthouse. The jury is deliberating in a room with barely one functioning window. Not only are temperatures hot with the jury, they are literally roasting in this room too as they deliberate what sounds like an easy case. At the start or the play 11 jurors believe the defendant is guilty without a doubt, but the twelfth juror has reservations. That right there is the plot of the play. I don’t want to give anything away with the story or the case.
Twelve Angry Men will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Director Julie K. Phillips has assembled a great cast to tell this story. I really liked Davin Grindstaff as
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| Photo by Molly Jay |
Juror 8. He’s the main character and the juror who doesn’t believe this as open and shut as everyone else believes it to be. I also liked Dominic Delong Rodgers as Juror 4.
I really liked the scenery designed by Cory Skold. The table in the room is placed at an asymmetrical angle. The walls are open and representational. The Windows are not symmetrical in their placement either. All of this puts the focus on the cast and the storytelling.
This play keeps you engaged from the very beginning to the very end. If you have never seen Twelve Angry Men before, now is the time. This production is not to be missed.
This 90 minute play runs through November 1, 2026. Check out www.lyricarts.org for tickets.
