{"id":2375393,"date":"2026-04-16T03:02:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T03:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2375393"},"modified":"2026-04-16T03:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T03:02:06","slug":"the-fear-of-13-review-adrien-brody-goes-to-prison-in-a-predictable-criminal-justice-schlep-on-broadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-fear-of-13-review-adrien-brody-goes-to-prison-in-a-predictable-criminal-justice-schlep-on-broadway\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Fear of 13\u2019 review: Adrien Brody goes to prison in a predictable criminal justice schlep on Broadway"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F04%2Fnewspress-collage-z5a5gnhpr-1776286840918.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261776272553\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--review alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n\t\t<span class=\"inline-module--review__eyebrow subsection-heading-semi__label\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tTheater review\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"inline-module--review__title subsection-heading-semi\">\n\t\t\tTHE FEAR OF 13\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"rating\">\n<div class=\"rating__stars\">\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--empty\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--empty\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>One hour and 50 minutes, with no intermission. At the James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th Street.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It speaks volumes about Adrien Brody\u2019s choice of roles that next to his anguished, Oscar-winning turns in \u201cThe Pianist\u201d and \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/12\/31\/entertainment\/the-brutalist-review-adrien-brody-is-perfect-in-riveting-mammoth-epic\/\">The Brutalist<\/a>,\u201d his Broadway debut as a wronged man who spends 22 years on death row comes off as positively chipper.<\/p>\n<p>Cracking jokes and animatedly telling stories in a sing-song street-corner voice, our Sufferer Laureate plays Pennsylvania inmate Nick Yarris in \u201cThe Fear of 13,\u201d Lindsey Ferrentino\u2019s curiously unmoving and talky, talky, talky play that opened Wednesday night at the James Earl Jones Theatre.<\/p>\n<p>For an actor who apparently hadn\u2019t been onstage since age 12 before taking on this part in London in 2024 \u2014 though <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/03\/03\/entertainment\/adrien-brodys-nearly-6-minute-oscar-speech-was-insufferable-and-yet-another-eye-roll-moment-for-the-actor\/\">his record-breaking Oscar speech<\/a> surely qualifies as a one-man show \u2014 Brody comports himself well enough. He is poised and relaxed, and the delicate, damaged spirit he brings to his heartbreaking films transitions smoothly to the theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just that \u201cThe Fear of 13,\u201d as written, is a lifeless, stuffy and dutiful schlep through years of events, posing an insurmountable obstacle for any actor. What unfolds is little more than a polite novella of narration about a weighty topic: the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson star in \u201cThe Fear of 13\u201d on Broadway. <span class=\"credit\">Emilio Madrid<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even by the standard of exposition-heavy shows, the proceedings in this production, straightforwardly directed by celeb babysitter du jour David Cromer, are oddly mild-mannered. Death row descends into Coffee Talk.<\/p>\n<p>Granted, Yarris, a real former inmate whose harrowing experience behind bars was the subject of a 2015 British documentary with the same title, is clearly an outgoing, talk-with-your-hands kind of guy. But the pacified drama by Ferrentino, which runs nearly two hours without an intermission, lands like an extended director\u2019s cut of the opening sequence of \u201cGoodfellas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--columnist inline-module--more--thirds\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<h2 class=\"inline-module__heading subsection-heading subsection-heading--single-line \">\n\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"subsection-heading__sub\">Johnny Oleksinski<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>A tall stack of monotonous \u201cand then\u201ds, and there is a heck of a lot of telling that goes on under sleepy, dim light.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how Nick got into the clink as a young man from Philadelphia who made a bunch of unfortunate choices. Here are the mistreated men in there with him. Here\u2019s the status of his snail-paced appeal. Here\u2019s what really happened the night of the murder. All of it comes with the unspoken tone of: <em>Can you believe this?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Our silent answer every time: Yes!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ferrentino seems content with her play\u2019s grander purpose outweighing its power. And, admittedly, the timeline holds the audience\u2019s attention enough that you at least want to look into Yarris further when you get home. His tale is remarkable and sad.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Brody plays real former death row inmate Nick Yarris. <span class=\"credit\">Emilio Madrid<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Still, this show exists in large part to elicit gasps by exposing the brokenness of the criminal justice system \u2014 not to make us know, understand and get lost in the life of a fellow human being.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Only during weekly conversations with Jacki Miles, a prison volunteer played by Tessa Thompson with the protective shield of Clarice Starling, are there glimpses of connection. Jacki visits to talk to death row inmates about their days, yet, as a rule, she never pries into the crimes that got them locked up.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Those other prisoners,\u00a0played by Ephraim Sykes, Eddie Cooper and Victor Cruz, among others, start out prominently and then abruptly disappear, never to be spoken of again. Only Sykes, of \u201cAin\u2019t Too Proud\u201d and \u201cHamilton,\u201d stands out because he gets to sing a chillingly pretty song that cuts through the fatalism.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The ensemble segues into many roles in the nearly two-hour play. <span class=\"credit\">Emilio Madrid<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The more Jacki meets with Nick, to whom she\u2019s especially drawn, her walls begin to break down and she becomes passionate about his cause. Soon, his plight is her own. The toll that devotion takes on her life, emotionally and logistically, is more stated than felt, as with so many other passed-over fireworks in \u201cThe Fear of 13.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although the death row denizens are forgotten, the ensemble ably segues into different roles, such as prison guards and government workers, most of whom are flatly characterized to paint them as lazy or bad. <\/p>\n<p>For instance, the men in charge of Nick\u2019s DNA evidence would rather chat about their sandwich orders than help him gain freedom. That\u2019s a hammy old throwback to cops at the doughnut shop. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>This isn\u2019t the first time Ferrentino has based a show on a documentary. <span class=\"credit\">Emilio Madrid<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At least the play is a step up for Ferrentino after the wretched musical \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/09\/entertainment\/queen-of-versailles-review-kristin-chenoweth-returns-to-broadway-in-a-dire-musical-that-needs-a-wrecking-ball\/\">The Queen of Versailles<\/a>\u201d that she wrote the book for earlier this season. That dud was also based on a documentary, and I question why she keeps coming back to those films as a source of inspiration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The hallmarks of docs \u2014 confessional interviews with an invisible questioner, balanced perspectives rooted in hindsight and a rudimentary rundown of events \u2014 numb live drama, particularly if a writer leans into them as Ferrentino does.<\/p>\n<p>This playwright should herself develop a healthy fear of 13. Channel 13. PBS.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Theater review THE FEAR OF 13 One hour and 50 minutes, with no intermission. At the James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th Street. It speaks volumes about Adrien Brody\u2019s choice of roles that next to his anguished, Oscar-winning turns in \u201cThe Pianist\u201d and \u201cThe Brutalist,\u201d his Broadway debut as a wronged man who spends [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2375394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[366575,21741,341150,24047,345886],"class_list":["post-2375393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-adrien-brody","tag-entertainment","tag-tessa-thompson","tag-theater","tag-theater-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/\u2018The-Fear-of-13-review-Adrien-Brody-goes-to-prison.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2375393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375395,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375393\/revisions\/2375395"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}