A brand new comedy spoof of the iconic courtroom drama is set to make its world premiere at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with Olivier Award-winning producer and director Guy Masterson bringing 11½ Angry Men to the Pleasance EICC Pentland Theatre from 5 to 22 August.
The show features a remarkable ensemble of comedy talent, including Joe Pasquale, Spencer Jones, Andrew Maxwell, Stephen K Amos, Terry Alderton, Mark Maier, Glenn Wool and JJ Whitehead, alongside four members of the original 2003 production: Ian Coppinger, Phil Nichol, David Calvitto and Owen O’Neill.
The premise stays true to the source material with a comic twist of course. It is the hottest day of the year, a storm is brewing, and 11½ very angry men must decide the fate of a boy accused of a heinous murder in 1950s New York City. The jurors are keen to do the right thing, yet each has somewhere else to be and rather more pressing matters on their minds.
The production is a follow-up to the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe phenomenon that became the hottest ticket of that year. The original 12 Angry Men, also conceived Owen O’Neill and Guy Masterson, drew on an extraordinary who’s who of the comedy world and went on to tour Australia and New Zealand.
Several members of that first company have since gone on to considerable success. Bill Bailey won Strictly Come Dancing and now sells out arenas; Phil Nichol took home the Edinburgh Comedy Award and earned West End acclaim in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; Dave Johns starred in Ken Loach’s acclaimed film I, Daniel Blake; and Masterson himself won an Olivier Award for Morecambe before scoring a West End and Broadway hit with The Shark Is Broken.
For Joe Pasquale, the show marks a notable milestone: his Edinburgh Fringe debut. The much-loved comedian and King of the Jungle brings with him a career spanning Royal Variety Performances, a long-running stint hosting The Price Is Right, and a string of theatrical roles including Frank Spencer in the touring stage adaptation of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
The production is being mounted in true Fringe spirit, operating as a pure cooperative with the entire company working without guaranteed fees, relying wholly on box office returns. Several cast members will also be performing in their own shows during the festival.
11½ Angry Men previews on 5 August, with performances running daily at 2.30pm until 22 August (not 9 August)
