While some Americans find jury duty an inconvenience, Francis Lewis High School’s 12 Angry Men gives new breath to the classic play about civic duty. This past Thursday and Friday (May 8th and 9th), Francis Lewis performed their 12 Angry Men production. In consideration of its diverse cast, the 12 Angry “Jurors” of Francis Lewis delivered a performance of rage, persuasion, and artistic crashing out (the climax of a catharsis from rage).

The rendition of 12 Angry Men drew several parallels with the original work, offering a modernized and refreshed performance. With a majority of the audience being teenagers, the play’s team did a successful job making sure the target audience would stay engaged. 

Despite the tweaks Francis Lewis implemented to the play, the authenticity of the work shined through. The vintage fashion choices and mock cigarettes gave us a glimpse into the 20th century without being too archaic or uninviting. 

Highlights of the show include window watching, pointing fingers, and suspenseful voting ballots. But the most notable part of the production were the crash outs. Actors of Francis Lewis’s production showed us moments of rage and pure violence upon others both verbal and physical, such as Juror Three’s almost-lunge onto Juror Eight or Juror Ten’s ominous monologue.

Despite the laughs in the audience and impressive acting on stage (it is very difficult to look insane on stage, do it well, and snap back into a scene), I just could not follow the dialogue in this production. I am a law newbie, meaning a lot of the jargon and following through with each juror’s reasoning was difficult for me. 

When the audience was shocked, I was shocked, too. Not from what happened in the play, but simply because I could not understand what was so shocking. This is not a jab at Francis Lewis, it is simply a criticism I have about 12 Angry Men in relation to me. In fact, if Francis Lewis’s rendition was difficult to decipher, that is a testament to how true it stays to the original production.

The production’s set design was not a dramatic undertaking either. It was a simple, one scene set of the jury room. Yet this simplicity was so important in the performance, as the audience were able to focus on the dialogue at hand, and I do not find this to be a flaw. Rather, notable. 

It was also a bittersweet moment for former director Ms. Marci Contino to officially have her successor, Mr. Devin Green, be in charge. The throne has officially been passed on, and we can clearly see from the quality of this production that he was chosen right. 

So while I had looming question marks above my head while Juror 8 (played by Sophia Saareste) was limping across the stage while being timed, I appreciated the performance’s ability to translate 12 Angry Men to Francis Lewis’s audience. 

While my final rating verdict cannot be “guilty” or “not guilty”, I give it 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 out of 12 angry men.

12 Angry Men is originally written by Reginald Rose, and the stage adaption is by Sherman L. Sergel.