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Review: Adrien Brody Shines in the Death Penalty Play ‘Fear of 13’ on Broadway
Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson make their Broadway debuts in a play about Nick Yarris’s wrongful conviction and 22 years on death row.
- At the James Earl Jones Theatre, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody stars in 'The Fear of 13', directed by David Cromer. The play dramatizes the true story of Nick Yarris, who spent 22 years on death row for crimes he did not commit.
- Adapted from a 2015 British documentary by director David Sington, the play chronicles Yarris after his arrest at age 21 for a rape and murder that DNA testing eventually proved he did not commit.
- Tessa Thompson makes her Broadway debut as Jacki Miles, a jailhouse volunteer who becomes Yarris's wife. The production explores their relationship amid Pennsylvania's prison system, where Yarris was sequestered for 23 hours daily.
- Critics praise the performances, though some reviewers suggest the production's shifting tone between horror and humor falters. The staging designed for a space exceeding 1,000 capacity struggles to convey the intimacy of the original London premiere.
- Partnering with the Innocence Project, the play addresses wrongful convictions and systemic failures. Despite uneven pacing, it remains a potent indictment of a legal system that can hold a life in suspense for over two decades.
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12 Articles
Review: Adrien Brody shines in the death penalty play ‘Fear of 13’ on Broadway
Lindsey Ferrentino’s docudrama, directed by David Cromer, focuses on an American named Nick Yarris, who was exonerated by DNA evidence from charges of rape and murder before he was scheduled to be killed by the state.
·Chicago, United States
Read Full Article‘The Fear of 13’ Theater Review: Adrien Brody Brings Unquestionable Commitment to a Death Row Drama Dulled by Pedestrian Writing
Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson make Broadway debuts in 'The Fear of 13,' Lindsey Ferrentino's play about a wrongfully convicted man on Death Row.
·Los Angeles, United States
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution72% Left
Bias Distribution
- 72% of the sources lean Left
72% Left
L 72%
14%
14%
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