Diverting Nostalgia — Pasadena Playhouse's 'Twelve Angry Men'

"It's not Shakespeare, but...": the euphemism most often heard when someone's praising a text, while simultaneously admitting it's flawed. With Twelve Angry Men, nearing the end of its well-acted run Pasadena Playhouse, it's definitely not Shakespeare, as Reginald Rose's sexagenarian text has not aged well.

It's not that Rose's writing style is to blame; it's just that his point of view regarding justice and racism is irrelevant in today's America. Twenty-first century America is among the most ethnically diverse and least racist countries in the world, despite the tireless efforts of the mainstream media to preach otherwise. Today's "white" people are terrified of being perceived as racist; the establishment GOP has been crippled and is nearly defunct because of the dreaded "R" word; meanwhile gangs of "minority" youth roam the cities targeting, assaulting (and sometimes killing) random Anglo, Jewish, and Asian innocents for fun, without a whisper of outcry from the press. None of these modern realities are present in Rose's text. Indeed, the plot line of a poor, ethnic boy nearly escaping the wiles of a racist, white-run society and justice system is antiquated at best. In a post-CSI world of storytelling, the mystery-solving aspect of the play is almost cutesy.

No, it's not timeless, powerful Shakespeare, nevertheless director Sheldon Epps and the half-black-half-white cast of Twelve create an admirable piece of entertainment. With strength and gravitas, Jason George, (Juror Eight) is great as the hero that changes everyone's mind and saves the innocent boy. As the antagonist über-bigot Juror Ten, a strong Bradford Tatum gives an appropriately skin-crawling performance.

Imagine the nightmare of having to balance 12 mics, dropping them in and out to focus on the shifting vignettes at various points during the constant conversation and background hubbub on the one-room stage. Still, that would have been more preferable than the one floor mic used on the table top, while the actors (of varying capacity) had to project everywhere else. Unfortunately, the ability to project without losing nuance is a skill many of the seasoned TV actors have not mastered, hampering otherwise strong performances.

Twelve Angry Men continues at the Pasadena Playhouse Tuesday—Sunday nights to December 1, 2013. Get you tix here or by calling (626) 356-7529.



La theater reviews by LA Theater Critic.