Laura Petry sways the jury.
The Jury Room at Tempe Little Theatre
**1/2 (out of *****)
Mark S.P. Turvin
(w) 965-1021  (h) 894-5443
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@asu.edu

	In the midst of the omnipresent O.J. trial, Tempe Little 
Theatre offers, according to its director, Caryol Gebhardt, a look 
into the "innermost workings of The Jury Room--the small room 
where 12 people decide the guilt or innocence of another human 
being." This play, set in an unnamed midwestern town in the late 
50's, is nothing so mysterious or dramatic. TLT's The Jury Room, 
written by the unheralded C.B. Gilford, is a slight comedic take 
on the more famous Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. The basic 
plot, seen often in mystery shows and sitcoms, centers on the lone 
dissenting juror in the face of eleven other guilty votes. It is 
the job of this person to sway the jury away from convicting an 
innocent person in the face of overwhelming evidence against them 
in a murder case. 
	In this production, that person happens to be an actress 
wannabee, played by Deanna Pauk, who has the vocal inflections, 
dress, and physical habits eerily reminiscent to Mary Tyler Moore 
as Laura Petry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." She convinces the 
other jury members to perform little skits based on the testimony 
that they have heard, including scenes from both the prosecution 
and defenses point of view. The Laura Petry clone plays the part 
of the accused, while the jury members portray the various other 
characters in the seedy events surrounding the murder, including 
the victim, the butler, the boyfriend, the maiden aunts, and the 
all-important "mysterious woman." 
	Even if it weren't a tired and hackneyed idea with a mildly 
interesting twist, the action played out in this silly script is 
campy, mostly unbelievable, and chock full of stretches of 
credibility. The jokes are mostly one-liners, and many inadvertent 
puns are created by the serious way that the actors attempt to 
portray their limited roles.
	Despite all of this, the show is mildly amusing, in an 
escapist sort of way. I can only equate its charm to that which 
drives people to see movies like "Ernest Goes to Jail" and "Dumb 
and Dumber." The best part of the evening is the way that the cast 
earnestly portrays this silly-nothing-of-a-script. The actors, 
perhaps sensing the inadequacies of the show, chose to 
overcompensate by playing everything larger and more seriously, 
enhancing the comic tone of the piece. Three people of this 
ensemble cast in particular reflect this. Deanna Pauk, despite her 
characters nauseating perkiness, seems really to enjoy her role, 
and plays out the cloying cuteness to its fullest extent. Jami 
Hunt, whose character is appropriately named "Blonde" in the 
program, just as all the others are given attributes instead of 
names, goes over the top with her performance of a ditzy blonde 
who needs everything explained slowly and succinctly to understand 
the situation fully. A lot of the comedy of the piece rests on her 
shoulders throughout the first act, as the play wrongly attempts 
to remain more of a dramatic mystery than comedy, and she does 
well in a loud, brash and slapstick sense. Finally, as the ever-
important "Angry Man," Barry Siegwart is intense, brooding and, 
well, angry, just as his one-dimensional character calls for. 
	The acting of the piece is never outstanding, though it is 
never truly poor. Considering the difficulties of portraying one 
of twelve characters, especially when you're playing a role whose 
name and character description is nothing more than the "Shy 
Girl," what more could be expected?
	Behind the scenes, Bob King's set design and Eric Johnson's 
lighting are simple and sufficient. Caryol Gebhardt's direction 
was succinct. One really has to wonder what inspired her choice of 
script, but her compensation for it in her direction of the actors 
in this production partially makes up for it.
	There is a place in the arts world for community theatre. 
Many people who became full-time artists first tried their hands 
in shows like these, while many others who describe themselves as 
'theatre dabblers' get their Warhol "fifteen minutes of fame." 
Considering the current problems with arts funding, it is 
impressive to see that Tempe Little Theatre as well as the other 
Little's, are still producing work. TLT's 1995-96 season, which 
begins in September, features much better scripts than this, 
including the drama Agnes of God and the musical Little Shop of 
Horrors. We can only hope that with better source material, TLT's 
next productions will not be as wildly uneven as their current 
one.

Production Details:
The Jury Room by C.B. Gilford
Tempe Little Theatre
Tempe Performing Arts Center
132 E. 6th St., Tempe
350-8388
$8 General, $7 Students & Seniors, $6 Children 12 and under
June 2-June 17, Fri & Sat, 8 p.m.

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