by David Simpatico (Author), Michael Holland
In a small New York City jury room, on "the hottest day of the year," twelve men debate the fate of a young defendant charged with murdering his father. In form, Twelve Angry Men: A Musical is a courtroom drama; in purpose, it's a crash course in those passages of the U.S. Constitution that promise defendants a fair trial and the presumption of innocence. "A must-see musical... Twelve Angry Men is faithful to the seven-decade-old Reginald Rose teleplay on which it's based, but to watch it is to experience the thrill of the new... Michael Holland's jazzy, vocalese score feels like it's about to step up to a bar and order a Tom Collins... David Simpatico's canny book finds its way into the hearts and minds of each character, half of them white and half people of color." - Minneapolis Star Tribune "A serious story given more depth and made more compelling with the infusion of song... In a word: phenomenal." - Talkin' Broadway "Brims with tension... Adopting the musical vocabulary of modern jazz of the 1950s (in which the story is set), it offers intriguing enhancements to Reginald Rose's original script." - Pioneer Press