Adrien Brody, the American actor, is famed for his lead role in The Pianist, the Polish holocaust film directed by Roman Polanski, which won him an Oscar for Best Actor. He is making his London stage debut.
Lindsey Ferrentino’s The Fear of 13, is based on David Sington’s documentary film of the same name in which Nick Jarris, a convicted murderer, tells his story, a tragic and notorious case of miscarriage of justice. He was completely innocent. He speaks directly to the camera in an interview.
Jarris, a gifted storyteller, gives vivid detail of the flawed judicial system and the extreme punishment he received from the brutal guards in the maximum-security prison. He was not allowed to speak for the first two years.
In 1982 Jarris, aged 21, had been found guilty of kidnapping, rape and murder. He spent 22 years on Death Row, trying to prove his innocence and get on with his life. He was finally exonerated after many frustrating hiccups and released in 2004.
Ferrentino has turned Jarris’s monologue into a play and the anecdotes he tells are now re-enacted by a fine ensemble directed by Justin Martin and acted straight through in 1 hour and 45 minutes without interval.
The production is intimate and immersive. There are strong performances by Nana Mensah as the charity worker, Jarris falls in love with, and by Aidan Kelly as the Guard.
Adrien Brody gives a remarkable performance, interacting with the audience and carrying the show. He is resilient, articulate, eloquent, sensitive, gentle, likeable and as charismatic on stage as Jarris was on film.
Jarris’s presence in the stalls on press night was an added bonus.
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