The fate of one man is in the hands of 12 angry women in Katikati Theatre’s latest production.
The concept of attitudes, democracy and reasonable doubt come into play when Katikati Theatre players flex their dramatic muscles to play Twelve Angry Women, an adaptation by Sherman L Sergel,based on the 1950s television movie written by Reginald Rose.
A 19-year-old stands accused of killing his father. The play is set in 1950s New York and the death penalty is on the table.
Twelve women come together as the jury with a stash of personalities, idiosyncrasies and bias and are tasked with the job of deciding the young man’s future.
The jurors would rather be anywhere else during the height of summer, director Barry Magowan says. But revelations are unveiled as they re-examine the evidence and the ladies sway back and forth in their decisions.
Barry plays a guard in the play and his first line is ‘’he doesn’t stand a chance”. But the open-and-shut case is not so black and white.
“The jurors are from all walks of life, some of them have issues with their children, some have racial tendencies, others just want to get to the theatre... they really don’t see the consequences of what their decision will be,” Barry says.
A juror (Ruth Flynn) looks unimpressed as the evidence is re-examined.
He think the jurors’ various personalities bring the play to life.
Twelve Angry Women is something of a statement on societal attitudes, as well as an interesting look into the court system, he says.
“I think it drags the audience in. They realise that what they have seen in the courtroom, they have taken it at face value but when you break it down it means something else.”
