Although “12 Angry Men” has been around since 1954, it wasn’t until 2004 that it appeared on Broadway.

The original production was on CBS’s “Studio One,” an anthology series that presented original works of drama. In 1957, it was made into a major motion picture starring Henry Fonda and directed by Sidney Lumet.

Playwright Reginald Rose adapted his script for the stage in 1964, which has subsequently been adapted into “12 Angry Jurors” in some productions to allow women into the cast, and in 1997, in the wake of the O.J. Simpson trial, Showtime created a re-make with a racially-diverse cast.

But the Broadway production and the current national tour harkens back to the original.

“It’s almost word-for-word the same as the movie,” said George Wendt, who stars as Juror No. 1. “We didn’t update it at all. There’s no diversity, no women.”

Juror No. 1 is the foreman, played by Martin Balsam in the familiar movie version. Richard Thomas, better known to America as John-Boy Walton from the hit 1970’s television series “The Waltons,” plays Juror #8, the Henry Fonda role.

Although Wendt made his fame as Norm in another hit series, “Cheers,” for which he earned six Emmy nominations, he doesn’t think it’s that big a stretch to go from comedy to serious drama, nor has Norm interfered with his ability to play the dramatic parts.

“The roles come and go,” he said. “Norm was very close to plain old me but with way more clever writing.”
Recent work has also found Wendt playing Santa Claus and creepy murderers.

He began his career in the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago after taking a degree in economics.

“I suppose everyone sees a movie and thinks it’d be way cool to be an actor,” he said. “It’s sort of a silly dream to have, but I just wanted to be in Second City.”

That dream began when he was an audience member at the famed improv club.

“It just looked like so much fun, like they were goofing off on stage and getting paid for it,” he said. “So I called up the box office and asked about the workshops.”

After a year of workshops, he was accepted into the cast. What he learned, however, was that the less he tried to be funny, the more the audience laughed.

“It surprises you,” he said. “There’s an Elaine May maxim that goes, ‘Never let the audience catch you trying to be funny,’ and that applies to drama, too.

“You want to play stuff honestly and if the situation and the text support shock or horror or sadness, it’s going to come across.”

how to go
WHAT: Broadway in Cincnnati presents “12 Angry Men” by Reginald Rose.
WHERE: Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut, Cincinnati.
WHEN: Jan. 16-28.
COST: $18-$48.
MORE INFO: (513) 241-7469; broadwayacrossamerica.com.
 

A version of this story originally appeared in the Go! section of the JournalNews, Hamilton, Ohio.