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 the part of Jacki Miles, also makes her Broadway debut in this production.  Jacki Miles was a prison volunteer at the time, while also a PHD student studying poetry.  She and Nick Yarris formed a strong bond throughout much of his time on death row.

     The supporting cast included Michael Cavinder (Man 5, Butch, Others), Eddie Cooper (Man 6, Judge Giles, Others), Victor Cruz (Man 3, Beau Mullin, Others), Eboni Flowers (Ensemble), Joel Marsh Garland (Guard), Jared Wayne Gladly (Ensemble), Joe Joseph (Ensemble), Jeb Kreager (Man 2, Lieutenant Walker, Others), Ben Thompson (Ensemble), and Ephraim Sykes (Man 4, Wesley, Others).  Each supporting cast member did a great job.  While I'm grateful there were no cast substitutions at the performance I saw, I'm sure the undersfudies for Nick Yarris (Ben Thompson) and Jacki Miles (Eboni Flowers) would have delivered commendable performances.

     The scenic design for this producion was the work of Arnulfo Maldonado.  I first thought the scenic design was just going to consist of the cell block of death row.  However, the design became more intricate as the show moved along.  While that ends up being the case for many productions, for both Broadway shows and off-Broadway, it still surprised me.  Also, it wasn't until after seeing the play that I learned Nick Yarris himself was the Story Consultant for the play.  It was shortly before the play when I learned that "The Fear of 13" enjoyed a successful World Premiere Engagement in 2024 at the Donmar Warehouse theatre in London, England.  Adrien Brody played Yarris in that production too.  

          At the time I write this, Nick Yarris is alive and well.  That makes the ending of the play a little confusing.  Yarris voices a heartbreaking monolog and, as he voices fear about not wanting the sun to set yet, his dog from childhood runs up to greet him.  As I fought back tears of my own, it left me wondering if that meant he was alive at that point or not.  I suppose it was a form of symbolism of some sorts.  Whether or not it made much sense to me at the time, or even now, I found it to be a beautiful conclusion to the play.