'The Fear of 13' Broadway review — Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson bond behind bars

Read our review of The Fear of 13 on Broadway, Lindsey Ferrentino's play adapted from the same-named 2015 documentary about longtime death row inmate Nick Yarris.

Summary

• The Fear of 13 tells the true story of prisoner Nick Yarris's 22 years on death row before being exonerated
• Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson make impressive Broadway debuts as Nick and prison volunteer Jacki
• Moments of humor often undercut the show's gravity
• The show is recommended for true crime fans and fans of Brody and Thompson's film work

Two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody is notching another star turn as a real-life survivor in his Broadway debut. As Nick Yarris, a Pennsylvania man who wrongfully spent 22 years on death row and narrowly got out with his life, Brody’s unvarnished, sad-eyed charisma is effective in Lindsey Ferrentino’s The Fear of 13, a story where the stakes couldn’t be higher.

But is it an emotional nail-biter on stage? Not so much. As written, Nick’s saga is earnest but dramatically static, and it’s difficult to point to a moment that lets Brody truly stand out.

Ferrentino found inspiration in a 2015 documentary, which she embellished. (She used that formula for her book for The Queen of Versailles, a musical that ran on Broadway last fall.) On screen, Yarris was seated alone, telling his story to the camera. In the play directed by David Cromer, inmates, guards, lawyers, and judges are played by a multitasking ensemble.

The presence of Jacki, a volunteer for a Pittsburgh abolitionist group, has been expanded. She meets Yarris behind bars and forges a personal connection that defies both their expectations. Broadway first-timer Tessa Thompson summons compassion and a quiet curiosity that feels just right. In a sturdy theatrical device, Jacki is our channel to Nick: As she learns about him bit by bit, so do we. Thompson and Brody share a warm, convincing chemistry as Jacki finds herself falling for the death row inmate, and, like us, questions herself about that.

Nick’s story hits a few familiar notes: hardscrabble youth, drugs, nonviolent criminality. Then, at around 20, he has a run-in with the law and makes up a story to free himself, which backfires disastrously. He’s convicted on puny circumstantial evidence for raping and killing a young mother. DNA evidence eventually holds a possible way out, but the appeals process is a tortuous waiting game of delays, injustices, and administrative bungles.

From its opening line, the play is focused on time and how it gets warped, especially behind bars. It’s challenging to convey that on stage in a powerfully visceral way, and in the end, the play is all-tell, no-show, blunting its impact.

There are exceptions: An arresting moment comes when two inmates use music to express their love and rebel against the brutalizing prison system, and a final scene with Nick succeeds at tugging the heartstrings. Too often, however, the play leans into gravity-sapping laugh lines. Case in point: Nick calling a cop’s false testimony an Oscar-worthy performance — “Fuckin’ Daniel Day-Lewis over here” — is a needless knee-slapper.

Nick’s letter to a judge requesting to die becomes the very thing that ends up sparing his life. It’s a reminder that fate turns on a dime. Still, one wishes for a takeaway that runs deeper than irony.

The Fear of 13 summary

Based on David Sington's 2015 documentary also titled The Fear of 13, the play is about injustice and the liberation of Nick Yarris, who was convicted for a rape and murder he didn’t commit. After 22 years behind bars in Pennsylvania, he was finally freed in 2004 after DNA evidence proved his innocence.

The production at the James Earl Jones Theatre marks The Fear of 13’s Broadway premiere following a 2024 London run directed by Justin Martin. The play and Brody were nominated for Olivier Awards there.

Yarris first told his story in a memoir called Seven Days to Live, later re-released as The Fear of 13. For the Broadway play, he's credited as a story consultant.

What to expect at The Fear of 13

The story jumps between the past and present as Nick tells Jacki about life in prison, represented in minimal fashion by a three-tiered wall of doors and a few stools. (Set design is by Arnulfo Maldonado.) Jacki’s home, rendered in full detail, starkly contrasts Nick's world behind bars.

The 2015 documentary more fully explains the title's multiple meanings. Yarris got hooked on reading and learned new words — like triskaidekaphobia, the fear of 13 — in prison. Both the play and the documentary recall Yarris’s chilling encounter with an older man, who tells him in the play, “You look 13, and 13’s a man.” The title points to a trauma that shaped his life and suggests the peril of growing up.

What audiences are saying about The Fear of 13

On Show-Score, a review-aggregating site, the play has earned a score of 88%. Theatregoers there and on other online forums largely praised the acting and shared mixed responses to the writing and themes.

• “Both leads are exceptional, along with the supporting cast – this type of storytelling really held my interest.” - Show-Score user robert s
• “Excellent acting and wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did.” - Show-Score user Badreyah W
• “Enjoyable but lacking the punch expected for a prison drama based on a real story. Adrien Brody was very good as always, but he’s done this before and tackled much more challenging parts.” - Show-Score user Michael G 4
• “Some of the writing of the female lead/the plot progression for the first half I found to be cliche and slightly boring. However, Mr. Brody gave absolutely everything, I was so impressed, especially the last 10 minutes.” - Mezzanine user Rachel Roberson
• “Funny, hopeful but also haunting. Well done and also great supporting cast.” - Mezzanine user Jannine Lasaleta

Read more audience reviews of The Fear of 13 on Show-Score.

Who should see The Fear of 13

• Adrien Brody fans who’ve savored his Oscar-winning star turns in The Pianist and The Brutalist will want to be in the audience for his first starring role on Broadway. The same holds true for fans of Thompson in movies like Hedda, Creed, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Theatregoers who’ve been following Cromer’s streak of Broadway plays and musicals — Bug, Dead Outlaw, The Band’s Visit, Good Night, and Good Luck — will want to be in the audience for his latest production.
• Yarris was the first death row prisoner in Pennsylvania to be exonerated with DNA testing. True-crime aficionados will want to see how his story has been dramatized.

Learn more about The Fear of 13 on Broadway

Strong performances by Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson elevate this onstage look at the life of Nick Yarris, but that doesn’t free The Fear of 13 from its extended stretches of theatrical and emotional lockup.

Learn more and get The Fear of 13 tickets on New York Theatre Guide. The Fear of 13 is at the James Earl Jones Theatre through July 12.

Photo credit: The Fear of 13 on Broadway. (Photos by Emilio Madrid)