Occasionally a new play will come along that absolutely grips us from the moment it starts and doesn’t let go until the curtain call. The Fear of 13, by Lindsey Ferrentino, is one such show – you may already be familiar with the story, as this production is based on the documentary film of the same name which was released a few years ago, but if not: it tells the incredible true story of Nick Yarris who, in 1982, at the age of 20, was wrongly convicted of rape and murder.
We’re introduced to Nick (Adrien Brody), who is on death row in Pennsylvania, as he’s visited by Jackie Schaffer (Nana Mensah), who is doing some voluntary work to see how inmates on death row are being treated. Initially Jackie is interviewing a range of prisoners, but over time she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Nick and starts to visit more frequently, just to see him. We witness their relationship grow and evolve over many years and learn more about their individual back stories.
We don’t want to give too much away about the story itself but it’s absolutely gripping stuff – it’s one of the most powerful plays we’ve seen in a long, long time. It’s brilliantly told, too: Brody is a fantastic storyteller, with an understated, conversational approach which had us hanging on his every word, and Mensah is equally brilliant opposite him. We fully bought into her back story and invested in her as well. The ensemble cast is strong, too, playing a whole variety of roles including the other inmates, guards, police officers, lawyers and more besides.
One of the joys of seeing a show at the Donmar Warehouse is the intimacy of the space – with a capacity of just 250 there really isn’t a bad seat in the house (be warned, if you’re in the front row you’ll pretty much be a part of the play). Designer Miriam Buether has done a fantastic job of creating a brutal maximum-security prison environment, with some smart use of large windows at the back which occasionally reveal tantalising glimpses of the world outside – quite literally windows into a life that Nick has never had.
We could go on and on about how good this is, but to summarise, The Fear of 13 is an absolutely incredible new play and if you can see it, you should. It’s an amazing story, brilliantly told, and we found ourselves completely captivated throughout. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the Donmar Warehouse is quite small and the run is relatively short, it’s pretty much sold out, although a handful of tickets are being released daily at 10am. Grab one if you can.
GAY TIMES gives The Fear of 13 – 5/5
More information can be found here.
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