WC's 12 Angry Jurors comes up supreme

 




Natalie Francis and Spencer Smith were among a sterling cast in the performance.

     A full house on the last Sunday afternoon performance; an intimate collection of a familiar community. A seating capacity of hundreds; a simple yet deliberate arrangement that could seat at most, one hundred people. A celebrated, lighthearted classic; a thought-provoking, mysterious case. Dublin Scioto and Worthington Christian’s winter plays couldn’t have been more opposite. I had the honor of attending both performances this month, and both were enjoyable, as different as they were. A quick assessment follows below, and picks an overall winner (all completely subjective, of course).

            Audience turnout: Dublin takes this with a huge sweep. As large as Dublin Scioto is as a school (one of three public high schools in Dublin), I was blown away by the number of people who came out to watch The Little Mermaid--on a Sunday afternoon! Granted, this was the last performance, but I had no expectation of nearly every seat being occupied. In fact, I had to move seats more than once, foolishly assuming that no one would actually sit in their assigned seating; I ended up sitting in my assigned seat of M 118, close to the back. I could see better than I thought I could, but still, the turnout was quite shocking.

            Play execution: Worthington Christian’s 12 Angry Jurors comes up supreme. It was obvious that The Little Mermaid required much preparation, and the execution wasn’t at all bad, but 12 Angry Jurors produced a more clean, smooth delivery overall. Dublin Scioto’s play was tempered by slightly awkward transitions and less than euphonious singing (Ariel’s high notes, at times, evoked wincing); in contrast, despite the impressive number of lines and dialogue the “jurors” had to memorize, Worthington Christian’s play went off without a hitch. Claiming that I was impressed would be an understatement--the jurors’ enunciation, facial connotations, and delivery were close to flawless.

            Effects, props, and costumes: The Little Mermaid, considering everything it entails, wins this one. I did enjoy the jurors’ outfits, especially the professional, lawyer-esque suits, but Dublin Scioto’s sparkly, multihued costumes provided the audience with Disney immersion. Chef Louis’ culinary outfit, complete with a mustache, made that scene come alive, and the fish heads worn by chorus members added to the undersea vibe. The effects and props, too, were interesting. Waving of sheets to replicate the ocean’s movements, Ursula’s elaborate scene of demise in which she “disappears” into herself, and brief bolts of light caused by Triton’s scepter all were effective additions to hold the audience’s interest. One costume tidbit that was unexpected was many of the actors’ use of “Heely’s” (or similar shoes with wheels on the bottom), intended to make them appear like they were “gliding” underwater. The actual effectiveness of this is questionable, but I give them props for doing something so different.

            Content and interest: For me, 12 Angry Jurors held my interest far more than did The Little Mermaid. Yes, The Little Mermaid is a classic, but 12 Angry Jurors provided something different and thought-provoking. I passively watched Dublin Scioto’s play, already knowing what would happen in the end (aren’t all Disney movies the same way?). 12 Angry Jurors, though, kept me on the edge of my seat, as I had absolutely no idea what the jury’s outcome would be. In that sense, I was “plugged in” throughout the play, hungrily taking in the jurors’ impressively memorized dialogue and trying to predict the next occurrence in the play. The clarity of the jurors’ speech and the volume level added to my interest as well, something that the actors in The Little Mermaid fell short of.

            Who wins in the end? Subjectively, and quite possibly in a very biased way, I choose 12 Angry Jurors to blow The Little Mermaid out of the water. Yes, Dublin Scioto did a wonderful job presenting a Disney classic to hundreds of audience members, complete with elaborate effects, fitting costumes, interesting props, and many able singers, but Worthington Christian’s simple yet deep winter play about the fate of an accused young man provided a closeness and mind-delving situation that are rarely brought about successfully by high school actors. Again, I must point out how blown away I was by the jurors’ clear and smooth delivery of their copious memorized lines, and by the fact that their gestures and facial expressions perfectly complemented their characters and speech. I enjoyed both winter plays, but all in all, Worthington Christian High School’s 12 Angry Jurors reigned supreme (and no jury is needed to agree on it).

 

By Joy Cho