The Laughter of Recognition Was Immediate


The JURY is a musical comedy that turns serious. It does not focus on the person on trial, but on a raucous bunch of citizens, most of whom don't have the time or inclination to be jurors. Sound familiar? Our workshop audiences had no problem identifying with the characters who balk when their number is called to do their civic duty. In the trial phase, these jurors look for romance, worry about missed deals and office politics, anguish over family crises, anticipate their next meal, and complain about the discomforts of being confined. When they are finally sent to the jury room to deliberate, they seize on the opportunity to "let go," bragging about their backgrounds and topping one another's stories. Tomasina in Minneapolis production

Under threat of a judicial reprimand and a possible stint in jail, this noisy jury is finally forced in the second act to talk about the case: one more shooting in a city wracked with gunfire. Only when the subject turns to these recent headlines do the jurors reveal their own experience with guns. Their attention to the case intensifies as the jurors gradually realize what happened to the defendant could easily happen to them. So when one juror still pushes for a quick decision based on an-eye-for-an-eye (so they can all go home), the others balk. And it is then that this unlikely group of Americans all manage to really listen to one another and find consensus.


The JURY Songs


When jurors and Officer Thompson can't get what they want, they vent their frustrations in song. Click the bullets below to hear some of the songs from The Jury.