The upcoming Broadway production of Reginald Rose's jury-room drama will begin previews at the American Airlines Theatre in September for a limited engagement. As previously reported, Scott Ellis directs.
12 Angry Men, set in a jury room, tells the story of a murder trial in which a youth is alleged to have killed his father. The case seems like an open-and-shut situation as eleven of the unnamed jurors believe the defendant to be guilty. Juror #8, however, is not so certain, stirring up the room and setting off a number of arguments.
First produced on television as part of CBS' "Studio One" series in 1954, the Reginald Rose work was then expanded into the full length 1957 feature film, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam and Jack Klugman.
Bosco, who will play Juror #3 in 12 Angry Men, has appeared in Roundabout's Off-Broadway productions of A Month in the Country, Don Juan in Hell, Hedda Gabler, Inadmissable Evidence, Misalliance, The Caretaker (1980), Learned Ladies, Ah, Wilderness!, Come Back, Little Sheba (1983), Master Class (1985) and A Man For All Seasons. (Lee J. Cobb played the role of Juror #3 in the 1957 film and George C. Scott took on the same role for the updated 1997 television version of the work.)
Other credits for the stage veteran include The Rape of the Belt, Heartbreak House, You Never Can Tell, Moon Over Buffalo (all Tony-nominated performances), his most recent Broadway turn in Copenhagen as well as a his Tony-winning portrayal in Lend Me a Tenor. Ellis, who serves as an associate artistic director at Roundabout, has directed Broadway stagings of The Boys From Syracuse, Arthur Miller's The Man Who Had All the Luck, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Rainmaker, 1776, She Loves Me, Picnic and A Month in the Country. Other credits include The Waverly Gallery, The Dog Problem, That Championship Season and the NYC Opera staging of A Little Night Music.
Other productions already slated for the 2004-2005 season at Roundabout include Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Pacific Overtures, Arthur Miller's drama After the Fall and a Wallace Shawn adaptation of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera.
For information, call the Roundabout Theatre Company at (212) 719-1300 or visit the website at www.roundabouttheatre.org.
