Opening Night for "Twelve Angry Men"

THE WEATHERS REPORT:
It's opening night for "Twelve Angry Men." We've been rehearsing on a nightly basis for the past 4 weeks. Sundays have been off, except for this last week when we typically rehearse for 2 weeks straight. It's been fascinating to explore these 12 individual men locked in a Manhattan jury room on a sizzling August afternoon in 1957 as they struggle to reach 'the truth.'.
Early in the play the men take an initial vote, where 11 of them vote "Guilty" for the 16 year-old boy who is accused of stabbing his abusive father to death. The evidence for the kid's guilt seems overwhelming. But then the conflict enters – one lone juror feels the need to discuss the facts of the case before sending this boy off to the electric chair. (These were the days of the death penalty in New York.) What seems like an open and shut case soon turns into questioning the 'evidence' that has seemed so certain. Arguments and passions erupt and prejudices are revealed.
I feel very fortunate to have such a great group of actors for this production. Each of them are giving strong individual performances, but they've also created a terrific ensemble. Rehearsals have been exhilarating, exhausting, frustrating (all those lines!!), fun, difficult and inspiring. With only days to go before getting in front of an audience, everyone is working hard to 'get off book' (getting every line down accurately). It's tough, because there are no breaks – they are on stage for about 95 minutes, which means they all have to keep the energy going for that entire time.
We are also teching the show the next few nights – working the lighting cues, sound effects, costumes...early last week I had all of the guys start wearing their lace-up, hard-soled black dress shoes to get the feeling of how this informs their character and the time when men would dress up for every public occasion. Tonight will be our first complete dress with all (or most) of the elements in place.
Mike Boyer has created a wonderful playground for the production – a decaying Manhattan courtroom complete with a ceiling, a view of downtown Manhattan and a bathroom. His attention to detail is amazing. The set creates the perfect tone for the play, since our goal is to take the audience into this world of the '50's and show that even as times have changed, the echoes of “Twelve Angry Men” still ring familiar.
As we've been working, I've been stuck with the thought of how lucky we are to be exploring this juicy piece of theatrical writing. It's not often we get the chance to do dramatic material in our local theaters. We all love comedies and musicals...to be entertained, but my feeling is that if something is done really well (no matter what the genre), the audience will be entertained. I feel we're providing that with "Twelve Angry Men." It's definitely not a downer, but a crackling good "did he do it" play.
The play runs Dec. 17 to Jan. 9. Do not miss it!

TWELVE ANGRY MEN

Our first production of the season will be Twelve Angry Men, Reginald Rose's great court room drama. It's been on my 'to do' list for several years, but the rights have only recently become available. The rights were on hold because of the acclaimed Broadway production (Tony Award winner for Best Play Revival in 2005) and then the national tour of that production which played in 19 cities over two years with Richard Thomas as Juror #8.

Twelve Angry Men first appeared in 1954 as a teleplay on the CBS series Studio One. In 1957 Sidney Lument made the iconic movie with Henry Fonda and an all-star cast. It received several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but lost to The Bridge On The River Kwai. A Showtime version was done in 1997, directed by William Friedkin. The play has become a staple for theaters all over the world, including a group of Lebanese prisoners (which included a convicted murderer) who put on a version for government officials in 2009.

Rose wrote several versions of the play, including an all female version: 12 Angry Women and a mixed version 12 Angry Jurors. However, for me, the play works best as a period piece with an all male cast, reflecting how far we've progressed and how much we haven't. Also, the confrontations and sensibilities seem 'male' to me, giving the play's events greater resonance.

I saw a production of the play directed by the great playwright, Harold Pinter, in London, in 1996. I thought it would be a bit of an old chestnut, quaint and dated. But it was riveting. Taut without overplaying the melodramatic aspects of the script, stylish and very well-acted. I felt it would be a good fit for Key West.

In May, I had auditions for our upcoming production and was thrilled with the excellent turn-out – over 40 actors, for only 13 roles (12 jurors and 1 guard.) However, this was one of the hardest shows I've ever had to cast because there were so many excellent choices. Even the auditioners said, “I don't envy you!” After several callbacks (and a couple of sleepless nights), I made my decisions. Still, it's always painful to be unable to use so many good actors. The cast I've assembled is a blend of new and familiar faces, and I'm really looking forward to working with them on this challenging piece. (see the cast list under “News and Events”).

12 Angry Men takes place in late summer 1954, in a New York court jury room. The men are charged with deciding the fate of a 16 year old boy, who is accused of killing his father. The play begins with a near unanimous decision of “guilty” because the evidence against the boy seems so overwhelming. But a lone dessenter makes a case for a more careful deliberation, since, a decision of guilt would mean the death penalty. As they begin to discuss the case and sift the evidence, opinions begin to clash, prejudices are revealed and doubts are sown. The jurors are never named and are only known by their numbers, but the audience is pulled to each man's struggle to reach a unanimous decision.

The play has a surprising relevance in our litigious society. The popular culture is permeated with high profile trials and tv courtroom dramas, not to mention Judge Judy and all of her progeny. This play gives the alternate veiw – what happens in the jury room. 12 Angry Men is a compelling portrait of what happens when ordinary citizens are asked to fulfill their civic duty and decide whether a defendant has been proven to be guilty or not guilty. It's a gripping tale that excites me every time I read /work on the play...and that's a lot!

I hope you'll join us for this exciting production. The production plays Dec. 17 to Jan. 9. Be watching for performances with audience talk backs. It should be a fascinating journey.

From our Artistic Director, Danny Weathers... The Weather's Report – 5/25/09

Saturday, May 23, was the final performance of the 08/09 season. We ended with a bang - “Musical of Musicals, the Musical” superbly directed and choreographed by Cameron Murray, with expert musical direction by Vincent Zito and starring the fabulous cast of David Black, Laurie Breakwell, Kristen Bussiere, Bruce Moore and Michael Fauss, always brilliant at the piano. Mary Falconer narrated the hilarious proceedings. Very smart, witty, caustic and brilliantly sung, “MOMTM” was a perfect finale to a great season. Audiences loved it.
Now that the season has ended, I thought it was time for a little reflection. I haven't posted for awhile because this season has kept me hopping. The overwhelming consensus is that this has been a fantastic season. Our audience numbers back that up. Even with the lousy economy, we've done very good business. Well, until mid-April when the tourists began to dwindle and the snow birds began to fly north, all causing the locals to guard their cash flow. But it's always slow in May. Unless you have Naked Boys on stage. Still, we've done well.
For me, as artistic director, I've been extremely pleased with the stellar quality of our productions. You might be thinking, well of course, you would say that, but I hear it everywhere I go. So many people congratulate me on a [insert your positive adjective] season.
But I don't take the credit. It's the work of many people. Our brilliant set designer, Mike Boyer and our staff: Allen Gallant as house manager; Alan Melnick at the box office; Gary Symons as business manager; Harry Skevington giving me help with marketing; Jane Rohrschneider as our web designer. JT Thompson, our graphic designer. Also, Bob Frechette and the board have been great ambassadors for the theater. I would specifically like to thank Bert Whitt, VP of Operations and Rita Lidner, VP of Development, who are retiring from those positions but staying on the board. They have done a fantastic job.
Then there are the many excellent actors who have been on our stage. A recent snarky comment on the blog stated that we have “the same five people” on stage for every production. In reality, we had over 36 performers grace our stage this season. There were far too many great performances to single out specific ones, but I was thrilled with the work done in: “Regrets Only,” “Doubt,” “BitchSlap!” “Reefer Madness” and “Musical of Musicals.” Not to mention “Encore,” our opening concert and Carmen Rodriguez's sold-out concert. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank all the directors, stage managers, tech help, musicians, Chris Tittel and the New Play Series, etc., etc. That “it takes a village” thing.
The past two months I've been going through my annual ritual of putting together a season. So much rides on each choice. While it's exciting, it can also be tremendously agonizing. I've almost got it all together – just one missing piece, which I hope to have resolved soon. Next season will be the 70th year of The Key West Players - the organizational group of the WFPH. We're hoping for a big year. Be watching the web site for specifics. It's truly going to be our Platinum Season!