Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 25 February 2023
Reviewed by Louise Ford
4****
“Your honor , with all due respect: if you are going to try my case for me, I wish you wouldn’t lose it.”
Who doesn’t love a courtroom drama? The little “man” against the establishment.
The Verdict was written by Barry Reed and was made into an award winning film in 1982, starring Paul Newman, it has been brought to theatres in the UK by Middle Ground Theatre Company Ltd. The UK tour started in Cardiff and ends in Oxford in July 2023. This production has been adapted for the stage by Margaret May Hobbs and is directed by Michael Lunney.
Even before the warning bell rings we see Frank (Jason Merrells) in his chaotic office getting ready for another day. He’s busy brushing his teeth, smelling his shirt, moving stacks of files around his cluttered desk and assessing how much whisky there is left in the bottle. This all sets the scene for the life and career of a man who’s washed up and is reduced to ambulance-chasing. He’s tired and disillusioned and it shows in his crumpled suit and battered brief case. His latest case, which has been running for sometime, is a medical malpractice suit against one of Boston’s largest Catholic hospitals. The case of Debra Ann Doherty, a young mother left in a vegetative state after a mishandled delivery of her third child.
Mrs McDaid (Sarah Shelton) puts her faith in Frank and is dismayed to hear that he has rejected the Bishop’s offer (Richard Walsh) of an out of court settlement. Frank’s share of the settlement would have sorted out his back rent and the IRS and Debra’s medical bills would be covered. So what is Frank thinking?
After visiting Debra in hospital , Frank realises that he has to do the right thing. So he opts to go to trail.
The set is a mishmash of Frank’s office, snowy Boston, Meehan’s bar and transforms to the court room and the lawyer’s office. The audience is the hospital and the jury. It’s a clever way of incorporating several different scenes without disrupting the flow of the story.
Jason Merrells plays Frank is a calm and understated way his accent is faultless throughout. His rapport with Moe Katz ( Vincent Pirillo) is touching. Moe is his mentor and staunch ally, not afraid to say it how it is.
Whilst the cast is predominately male there are strong performances from the women, particularly Teresa Jennings (as Mary Rooney) and Holly Jackson Walters (as Natalie Stampanatto). One a buttoned up, loyal nurse the other a nervous, hand-wringing witness.
As to be expected there are many twists and turns, some of which drew gasps from the audience who were all clearly invested and absorbed by the story as it unfolded .
All in all a good solid production with some twists and turns.