Twelve Angry Men, York Grand Opera House

COURTROOM dramas can’t fail to grip an audience with that element of shock and surprise constantly round the corner – and Twelve Angry Men is a classic of the genre that, in this touring production, is guilty m’lud of providing two hours of first-rate theatre.

The jury is out in the case of a young man who has stabbed his father. Allegedly. When the jurors convene to consider their verdict a lone voice Juror 8 (Tom Conti) utters the words “Not guilty”. From that beginning writer Reginald Rose constructs a watertight plot in which the characters of the various jurors come into focus as they examine, reluctantly in some cases, Juror 8’s insistence that there might well be “reasonable doubt” about the defendant’s guilt – and remember if found guilty he faces the electric chair.

What’s fascinating is the way the balance of power shifts as the jurors’ prejudices and personal quirks come into play with the not guilty votes overtaking the guilty ones. You’re never quite sure which way the plot is going next with so much pent-up anger and frustration in the room.

Conti represents the voice of reason. Cool, calm and collected as he plants the seeds of doubt in the minds of his fellow jurors. Andrew Lancel, on the other hand, is the real angry young man whose personal problems cloud his judgement. Those two are the catalysts for the jury room exchanges but each member of the cast offers a sketch of a man without resorting to caricature.

The show certainly deserved a bigger audience than the one on Monday’s first night. York’s theatregoers are guilty of missing a splendid night of courtroom drama.

* Runs until Saturday. Box Office: 0844-8713024 and atgtickets.com/York

* Newcastle Theatre Royal, June 15-20. 08448-112121 and theatreroyal.co.uk

Steve Pratt