Tom Conti once again plays Juror No. 8 in this powerful courtroom drama – the role in which he gained considerable acclaim when the production opened in London in 2013. The story centres around a homicide trial. The jury is unanimous in deciding that the accused is guilty – with one exception. Juror 8 proceeds to sow seeds of doubt that upset the apple cart well and truly. The stakes are high. A man’s life is at stake. Is he Guilty – or not guilty?
While the script demands a low key start there is a danger of the performance appearing at times a tad turgid – as is the case in this instance. Fortunately, however, tension builds as the drama progresses, peeling back the layers to reveal the characters of each juror as they struggle to arrive at an unanimous verdict and each in turn is forced to address the question of the exact meaning of “Beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Despite being sold on Conti’s name, it is difficult to single out a “star,” for author Reginald Rose has given each of the twelve jurors (why all male, one wonders?) their moment in the spotlight and in the skilled hands of director Christopher Haydon each of the talented cast gives a sterling performance. Conti takes a quiet spoken approach to his portrayal of Juror 8, questionably too laid back at times but in so doing allows Denis Lill’s grumpy old man with a chip on his shoulder – Juror 10 – full throttle. This Lill certainly does, in modern parlance giving it full welly. One might be tempted to send a box of throat pastille’s round to the stage door! Lill, a veteran of standing with an extensive career in television, including the cult series Survivors, is a master of his craft – and it shows. Even when he is sunk in a seething sulk in a chair in a corner of the stage the electricity he generates emits hostile sparks.
As one by one the jurors lose their cool as the hours tick past and the threat of a hung jury seems a probability, the audience is held in suspense up until the last possible moment. Well worth going to see the performance and find out.
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