A KNIGHT of law at the theater

The Lincoln Way Central Theater Department recently put on their winter production of “Twelve Angry Jurors.” Originally entitled “Twelve Angry Men,; the title was altered due to the inclusion of eight female jurors in the cast, as opposed to the all male jury made famous by the film and other productions.

The play went off without a hitch both Friday and Saturday nights, February 24th and 25th. The play is centered on the topic of a murder case in which a boy is being accused of killing his father. The twelve jurors file into the room, ready to place their votes and discuss the case. Although they believe they are all on the same page of thinking the boy is guilty, one juror (played by senior Meghan Carr) believes there is reasonable doubt and the boy may be innocent. The jury must then go on deliberating.

The play featured many high-strung moments tossed into the sorting of clues and recounting of the evening of the murder. Junior Tom Burchett offered the most opposition to Meghan Carr’s character, and the two jurors argue for the majority of the show, and a fight nearly breaks out at the end of Act One. However, as Juror 8 (Carr) makes her points, the other jurors begin to realize that there may be a reasonable doubt, and one by one they turn to not guilty. In the end, Juror 3 (Burchett) also puts in a vote for not guilty to save the jury from being hung.

Jacinda Forbes, who played the cold-hearted Juror 10, prejudiceagainst those living in the slums, gave another outstanding performance. Forbes really portrayed her character’s cruel viewpoint and racist ways in her monologue towards the end of the show. It was not an event to be missed.

Senior Sam Jurvich, who saw the show February 25th, declared after the viewing, “It was a very unique and intense show. I’m interested in law, and seeing the way each juror brought their own background in coloring their verdict was not something I really thought of before.”