THEATRE REVIEW: "The Fear of 13" at the James Earl Jones Theatre (New York, NY)
On the afternoon of June 7th, 2026, I saw a performance of the Lindsey Ferrentino play "The Fear of 13" at the James Earl Jones Theatre (formerly the Cort Theatre) in New York City. This play, based on a true story, is about Nick Yarris and his 22-year wrongful imprisonment on death row. More specifically, the play is based on a documentary by David Sington. Along with the agony of being on death row for such a long time, Nick Yarris became well-read during that time. Among the various terms he learned from reading while on death row was triskaidekaphobia, which is the fear of the number 13. That is just one way the play got its title. Yarris was eventually exonerated thanks to DNA evidence. At the performance I saw, Nick Yarris was portrayed by Adrien Brody. While he has been in several movies and won two Academy Awards, this role is his Broadway debut. Tessa Thompson, who played ...