![]() ![]() ![]() The actor plays him not with the glistening earnestness that Henry Fonda brought to the role in Sidney Lumet’s classic film version, but, instead, with a cool reserve. ![]() Only Thomas’ character, Juror Eight, stands apart. Express ticket to the electric chair - end of story. Some of them - e.g., Todd Cerveris’ nebbishy Juror Two - at first seem more cowed than angry, while most of the others appear bored and impatient with the case that has been presented to them: A 16-year-old punk has fatally stabbed his father with a switchblade. But less than 15 minutes later, you’re perched on the edge of your seat, waiting for the latest character revelation among this random cross-section of males. Initially, there’s nothing to suggest that the show - directed here as it was on Broadway by Scott Ellis but with an entirely different cast - will soon have you riveted. In this era of courtroom-drama glut, when the seemingly infinite permutations of Law & Order are available 24 hours a day, what could possibly be the point of this revival? ![]() What’s in store, anyway? Probably some turgid 1950s teledrama resurrected and trotted out on the strength of two television-friendly names: Richard Thomas, who once played “John-Boy” Walton, as the renegade jurist, and George Wendt, formerly Norm of Cheers, as the foreman (not a standout role). This won’t amount to much, you think as you eye Allen Moyer’s appropriately drab jury-room set for the Roundabout Theatre Company’s national tour of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men. ![]()
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