Delbarton Thespians Tackle American Drama

Delbarton's Abbey Players perform the drama 'Twelve Angry Men' on Friday, Nov. 4, Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6

Curtain is at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $7 for adults online at Delbarton.org and $6 and$8 at the door. The show runs without intermission, and refreshments are served after each performance.

'Twelve Angry Men' was adapted by writer Reginald Rose from his 1954 teleplay of the same title for the CBS Studio One television series. The play's Broadway debut came 50 years later in 2004 when  the play won the 2005 Drama Desk Award for Best Revival of a Play and  2005 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

'Twelve Angry Men' depicts a jury forced to reconsider its nearly unanimous decision by the single dissenter who suggests that the testimony in a homicide trial (where a young man is accused of murdering his father) has produced reasonable doubt in his mind.  As the drama opens, closing arguments have been made and the trial judge instructs the jury that the twelve men must unanimously decide on a verdict of guilty or not guilty.

In nearly all American states failure to produce a unanimous decision creates a hung jury which results in a mistrial.  The jury is informed that a mandatory death sentence will accompany a guilty verdict.  The 12 jurors move to the jury room, a confined space where they begin to understand each other's personalities and prejudices. Several jurors have clear motives for discriminating against the witness: his race and his background. The troubled relationship between one juror and his own son also comes into play.

The drama will be performed by students from Delbarton School in Morris Township. The campus is on Mendham Road, three miles west of the Morristown Green. Parking is free.