Twelve Touchy Fellas

Lady Justice
Originally uploaded by Cam B..

I went to the theatre tonight with Jenn to see "12 Angry Men", which is only in its second night of performances in Chicago. I remember seeing the movie starring the adorable Henry Fonda, which was made in 1957, and I loved it. I found it tense, and powerful, and I watched most of it with a clenched jaw.

So I guess I was expecting the stage version to be the same. Sadly, it fell a little short. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, but it just didn't pack the punch of the original. The drawcards of this stage version are clearly Norm from "Cheers" and John Boy Walton, who I cannot abide because I overdosed on him in daytime telemovies during my first year at University. Yuck.

There was the familiar back-and-forth witty repartee of the movie, and with no intermission the guys onstage did a commendable job of maintaing the pace and energy the scenes required. And yet, there was John Boy, with his smug grin trying to make his fellow jurors realise reasonable doubt and vote the defendant 'not guilty'.

But the hands-down best part of tonight's performance happened in the ladies room at the theatre after the show, a fact that suprised me too! A lady emerged from the ladies room to ascend the stairs with her husband, just as I was about to enter the restroom area. I turned just at the right time to hear her say "You know, I liked it, but it just wasn't the same without Henry Ford". To which her husband kindly replied "No honey, he invented the car".

Niiiiice.