THE FEAR OF 13 Reviews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 5:13pm

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 10:08pm

TimeOut:

Broadway review: The Fear of 13 is just fine

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/broadway-review-the-fear-of-13-is-just-fine-041626

"With adaptations, the question for me is always the same: What does it add? In this case, I feel much as I did about last year’s Good Night, and Good Luck. No, The Fear of 13 isn’t bad, and you can pay hundreds of dollars to see it onstage if you like. Or for free, anytime, you can watch the film and see Yarris himself tell the same story, in most of the same words, faster and more realistically and in greater detail; if you want, you can even watch him tell his own story in a different filmed account. Is the Broadway version worth the vastly higher price? To some, it may be. But that notion leaves me feeling a little—what’s the word?—incredulous."

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 10:27pm

I'm thinking of Marsha Norman's edict to playwriting students at Juilliard (and members of the Dramatists Guild): "Don't write unnecessary plays." She characterizes them with nuance and detail, zeroing in on stories that aren't inherently theatrical, better told in other mediums and/or without sufficient personal passion from the storyteller. Perhaps this review makes the case; my two friends who went over the weekend made it rather simply: "why did this actor pick this play at this time?" Adam Feldman seems to have the same general take.

Updated On: 4/15/26 at 10:27 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:00pm

NY Stage Review

The Fear of 13: Prison Drama Feels Like a Long Stretch

By Frank Scheck

★★★☆☆ Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson make their Broadway debuts in this true-life drama about a prisoner on death row.

https://nystagereview.com/2026/04/15/the-fear-of-13-prison-drama-feels-like-a-long-stretch/

 

The Fear of 13: Adrien Brody Acquits Himself as Death Row Convict

By David Finkle

★★★★☆ Lindsey Ferrentino dramatizes David Sington's eye-opening documentary, David Cromer directs

https://nystagereview.com/2026/04/15/the-fear-of-13-adrien-brody-acquits-himself-as-death-row-convict/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:03pm

NY Times: Shaw is negative

Review: ‘The Fear of 13’ Doesn’t Entirely Add Up

Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson make confident Broadway debuts, but the uneven script makes for a narratively slippery prison drama.

"Ferrentino’s choice to make Nick look like he might be an unreliable narrator thus becomes bizarre; it certainly works against the clearer passions of the documentary. If you don’t know the back story, then the play’s irresolute (and then abandoned) hints that Nick might be untrustworthy create a certain slack tediousness. And if you do know that Yarris was (famously) exonerated, then they feel like time wasted. Ferrentino’s dramatic interpolations, particularly the wan attempt to expand Jacki’s character, sap the directness of the original account, and perhaps even harm it as advocacy."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:04pm

Variety

‘The Fear of 13’ Broadway Review: Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson’s Dynamic Performances Rein in a Tonally Bumpy Play

https://variety.com/2026/legit/reviews/the-fear-of-13-broadway-review-adrien-brody-1236722494/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:05pm

The Guardian: 3 stars

The Fear of 13 review – Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson lead sturdy, safe Broadway transfer

There’s a strong emotional pull to this fact-based story of injustice, but on stage it’s all a little too polite to truly soar

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/apr/15/the-fear-of-13-review-adrien-brody-tessa-thompson

"If the meat and potatoes of Death of a Salesman comes at too high a ticket cost, one needs venture only a few blocks south and a half-block east to get a (slightly) more affordable version of standard-issue Broadway fare. The Fear of 13, from playwright Lindsey Ferrentino, is so earnest and accessible one could almost mistake it for a filmed biopic of the sort that premieres in the fall with hopes of awards attention. Like those films, Ferrentino’s play is sturdy, dependable and mostly unremarkable."

 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:05pm

Variety is mixed-positive - "features some profound performances. However, it also feels tonally bumpy "

THR is positive on the performances, negative on the play itself

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:06pm

NY Post: 2 stars

‘The Fear of 13’ review: Adrien Brody goes to prison in a predictable criminal justice schlep on Broadway

https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/entertainment/the-fear-of-13-review-adrien-brody-goes-to-prison-in-a-predictable-criminal-justice-schlep-on-broadway/

"It’s just that “The Fear of 13,” 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."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:07pm

The Wrap's ever contrarian Hofler is positive

‘The Fear of 13’ Broadway Review: Adrien Brody Holds Back to Deliver Big as a Convict in Search of Justice

The true story of Nick Yarris comes to the stage in an absorbing production of Lindsey Ferrentino’s new play

https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/theater/the-fear-of-13-broadway-review-adrien-brody-tessa-thompson/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:10pm

Theatrely

https://www.theatrely.com/post/the-fear-of-13-whose-life-is-it-anyway-review

"I’ve not seen the namesake documentary on which Lindsey Ferrentino’s play The Fear of 13 is based, but reviews of the 2015 film note its “intriguing mystery” (Time Out) and the “riveting” (The Times), “labyrinthine journey [...] about the art of storytelling” (The Guardian) it crafts in telling the tale of Nick Yarris, a Philadelphia native who spent 22 years on death row for a gruesome crime he did not commit. As directed by David Cromer in rare disjointed form, the production which opened at the James Earl Jones Theatre has none of that going for it, save for two game lead performances by Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson, making their Broadway debuts."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:13pm

Vulture:

The Fear of 13 Doesn’t Get Far Outside of Adrien Brody’s Head

Lindsey Ferrentino's adaptation of a documentary about the exonerated death-row inmate Nick Yarris doesn't ever become larger than his story, compelling as that is,

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-adrien-brody-on-broadway-in-the-fear-of-13.html

"In his performance, Brody relishes the act of digging into a Philly accent, and of capturing the back-broken physical bearing of a condemned man. That enthusiasm is in many ways valuable. Even in the harshest descriptions of the violence and almost unbelievably cruel twists of fate that Yarris endured (the DNA testing keeps getting accidentally mucked up), Brody lends him a vital indomitable spark. But he’s so enamored with that bravado, that of his character and his own, that he only glancingly finds a dimension beyond it. He was, as is the play itself, repeating a good story but not providing deeper insight, giving us a mythology without a deeper sense of a man."

 

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:15pm

1 Minute Critic - 3 out of 5 stars

Brody is charismatic and surprisingly funny, but the play never builds relationships worth caring about. Director David Cromer navigates the play with his typical precision, and Brody carries much of the weight with charisma and charm. But when an exasperated Jacki asks Nick, years into his sentence, why he never told anyone what really happened, he says, “Now, even the truth sounds like a lie.”

Such lines land, but the relationship doesn’t. Without it, The Fear of 13 feels as handcuffed as its hero. Read the full review - it only takes a minute ⏰

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:17pm

Deadline is mostly negative on the play itself

‘The Fear Of 13’ Broadway Review: Adrien Brody Stars In Dark Tale Of Justice So Very Long Delayed

https://deadline.com/2026/04/the-fear-of-13-broadway-review-adrien-brody-1236859531/

"Still, as one judicial delay follows another, our very legitimate frustration with an inhumane legal system begins to feel like frustration with a narrative that mirrors Lucy, Charlie Brown and that ever-proffered football. At the reviewed performance, there seemed to be some exasperated audience “ughs” among intended dejected gasps.

Those pacing blips aren’t the only groaners. The depictions of the baton-wielding, pain-inflicting prison guards might well be accurate to Yarris’ testimony, but onstage they appear like so many outtakes from Cool Hand Luke. (A late-in-coming moment of grace for the most heinous of the guards is as wrong-headed as it is cringy). The jailhouse tropes extend to Nick’s fellow inmates who sing like angels. No, better, like Temptations."

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:19pm

This was a 3/5 for me. A classic middlebrow Broadway play, formulaically written but nicely acted, that some viewers will feel is intelligent. A bit like this season's version of AMERICAN SON.

My audience was really "with it" and vocal, though.

It will probably get licensed a lot regionally.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:20pm

Zachary Stewart from Theatremania is negative "I knew it was bullsh*t within minutes"

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:21pm

So do we see Adrien and/or Tessa getting nominated despite the play’s shortcomings? The reception seems cooler than it was in London. 

Or perhaps the Tony committee heeds the credo of his Super Bowl TurboTax commercial: “If there’s no [well-crafted] drama, there’s no Adrien Brody!”

Updated On: 4/15/26 at 11:21 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 12:20am

DTLI Consensus: Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson deliver game performances in their Broadway debuts, but the drama around them is muddled and the tone uneven in Lindsey Ferrentino’s latest.

9 mixed, 4 positive, 2 negative (including the NYT).

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/the-fear-of-13/

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 1:01am

BWW Fear of 13 - 58.4 %  REVIEWS

BWW review analysis percentages:   

NEW MUSICAL - 6 :  Titanique (74.4), Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) (73.5),  The Queen of Versailles (40.0).

MUSICAL REVIVAL -  5 :  Cats - The Jellicle Ball (90.6),  Ragtime (82.4),  Mamma Mia! (68.0),  Chess (62..

NEW PLAY - 8 :  Little Bear Ridge Road (90.0),  Liberation (89.3),  Giant (77.2),  Punch (71.9),  Call Me Izzy (65.0), Fear of 13 (58.4), Dog Day Afternoon (51.3).

REVIVAL OF A PLAY - 11 :  Marjorie Prime (84.7),  Becky Shaw (84.4),  Oedipus (84.3),  Death Of A Salesman (84.1),  Bug (80.6),  Every Brilliant Thing (79.1),  Art (69.0),  Waiting For Godot (67.4).

* UPCOMING OPENINGS * - 8
Proof, Fallen Angels, Schmigadoon!, The Balusters, Beaches, The Rocky Horror Show, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Lost Boys (with the most rehearsal, tech & preview time of the season).

Updated On: 4/16/26 at 01:01 AM

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 1:38am

Updated On: 4/16/26 at 01:38 AM

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 6:32am

Many reviews point out that Ephraim Sykes leads a version of The Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain" in The Fear of 13.  A bit of synchronicity, perhaps.  Ephraim played David Ruffin in the original cast of Ain't Too Proud. (His was my favorite performance in that show.)

[MezzA101]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 7:20am

Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson Act, and Sparks Fly

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/t-magazine/adrien-brody-tessa-thompson-fear-of-13.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bVA.a80L.C9drneUr1gAw&smid=nytcore-android-share

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 8:43am

EDSOSLO858 said: "So do we see Adrien and/or Tessa getting nominated despite the play’s shortcomings? The reception seems cooler than it was in London.

Worth noting that the London production was an entirely different animal in terms of direction, design, etc. The only things that remain the same are the text and the lead actor.

That said, I can’t see Brody cracking the list unless nominators  are selecting based on star power. For my money, the five nominees are already locked up for me (Lithgow, Strong, Radcliffe, Lane, and Harrison).

Thompson fares less well since her character is treading the fine line between actual person and plot device. I can’t see her sneaking in either category even in the best of circumstances.

It sounds like it will mostly be a lock for tech elements - set and lighting. But this has been a very horrible year for Ferrentino as a writer and I can’t see her coming back to Broadway any time soon, even though the reviews were (barely) kinder here.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/16/26 at 8:59am

61 on Broadway Scorecard, skippable.

"Critics find Brody's intense Broadway debut compelling in this earnest death row drama, but many fault the adaptation for being uneven and unremarkable, struggling to expand beyond its documentary origins into truly theatrical territory."

https://broadwayscorecard.com/show/the-fear-of-13