Theatre review: The Fear of 13

The Donald and Margot Warehouse celebrates the start of its Timothy Sheader era by hiking the price of my preferred seats by almost 150%, so I was in a slightly worse seat than usual for a mere 50% or so rise for the opening show, Lindsey Ferrentino's The Fear of 13. Though at times an onslaught of implausible events it's firmly in the "truth is stranger than fiction" camp as, with the exception of the character of Jackie who we're told is partly fictionalised to protect her identity, it's based on a documentary film covering true events: Jackie (Nana Mensah) is a graduate student interviewing inmates of a Pennsylvania high security prison on behalf of an advocacy group, and is eventually drawn to the story of quietly charming Death Row inmate Nick Yarris (Adrien Brody,) convicted in 1982 of a particularly grisly murder. Nick has become a prolific reader in prison, and has educated himself to become a compelling storyteller.

In Justin Martin's occasionally dreamlike production we get tales of guards imposing a rule of silence on the prisoners, a gay love affair between two inmates (Tommy Sim'aan and Posi Murakinyo) soundtracked by an a capella version of The Temptations' "Just My Imagination," and Nick's own daring, largely accidental prison break.

It's actually a long way into the show before Nick first tells Jackie he's innocent; her investigations reveal he was convicted on the basis of an unwise lie to the police, and no actual evidence. He's never mentioned it as he's long since resigned himself to being executed for a crime he didn't commit, and only news of the advances in DNA testing have made him realise he may finally be able to conclusively prove he was nowhere near the crime scene.

Although much of the story is told directly to the audience by Nick and, at times, Jackie, Ferrentino also gives us an ensemble of other convicts who take on all the supporting roles - Anna Cooper has gone for luxury casting on this chorus, with Cyril Nri, Michael Fox and Ferdy Roberts joining Sim'aan and Murakinyo as assorted prisoners, cops, lawyers and judges. And in keeping with new regimes at the Donmar playing around with the seemingly limited staging options, Miriam Buether has moved the front row of the stalls forwards, allowing for a catwalk to be run behind them and the actors to mingle with the audience.

It makes for an evening that sometimes confounds expectations of what a Death Row-set story will be: Of course a lot of it is brutal, degrading and upsetting, but there are moments that almost veer into magic realism, and a surprisingly playful performance style that extends to mild audience participation - although in most shows this wouldn't involve a woman in the front row standing in for the prison equivalent of an awe-inspiring celebrity, Ted Bundy.

This disarming style along with Brody's charm helps us go along with developments like Nick and Jackie falling in love (although their eventual marriage is openly one of convenience, as it will help Jackie get access to information that will help with his appeals,) and although the incident that initially derailed Nick's life is so depressingly predictable as to be clearly true, Ferrentino trying to frame it as a plot twist does make it come across as a cliché. I could have done with a bit more of an opinion about the Death Penalty itself - the closest we get is the script dripping with contempt for the defence lawyer Nick is assigned, who informs him that "as a Christian" he is of course a wholehearted supporter of execution, and while he will work on his case he certainly won't go so far as to try and keep him alive.

In fact if any overall picture of the US criminal justice system comes across, it's that in those states that do have the Death Penalty, the enthusiasm for it doesn't extend so far as to actually pay any attention to the people convicted, up to and including ensuring that the right people are on Death Row.  In Nick's case the DNA appeal drags out for a decade, at worst because people are actively tampering with evidence, at best because once someone's been locked out of sight and out of mind, ensuring he actually belongs there is a very low priority. Although at times it's as hard a watch as you might expect, for the most part The Fear of 13 is full of surprises, not least of all in tone.

But no, if they did explain what triskaidekaphobia has to do with the price of fish, I must have missed it.

The Fear of 13 by Lindsey Ferrentino, based on the film by David Sington, is booking until the 30th of November at the Donmar Warehouse (returns and rush tickets only.)

Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes straight through.

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan.