The Verdict

Good courtroom dramas built their tension slowly, seasoning it with human frailty, humour and a touch of romance. This excellent production goes further. The cast holds back, making it seem work-a-day, normal and real. In a black-&-white legal fiction we could easily believe Jack Shepherd’s veteran Jewish lawyer – it is a loser’s case, take the money! It’s difficult to like the almost burned-out, alcoholic high-flier (Clive Mantle) but we sort of do. There are few surprises or moments of ‘drama’ but this carefully measured, entertaining 1980s study of legality and ethics is still valid in these days of alternate truth.

Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, 14 February 2017

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