By Matthew Wexler
With two Academy Awards under his belt, actor Adrien Brody makes his Broadway debut in The Fear of 13. Lindsey Ferrentino’s play is based on the documentary about Nick Yarris, who was wrongly convicted of a violent crime and spent 22 years on death row.
Ferrentino—who also wrote the book for another doc-to-stage this season, the short-lived The Queen of Versailles—attempts to create an atmospheric examination of social justice, resilience, and unconditional love. But the narrative feels as unjustly diminished as Nick’s attempts to combat a broken legal system
Nick’s got stories—a lot of them
Brody is no stranger to tackling weep-inducing roles, winning Oscars for playing Holocaust survivors in both The Pianist (2002) and The Brutalist (2024). Would you believe he’s also funny? With those puppy dog eyes and slight frame, it’s hard to believe that the jury would convict Nick without evidence. Then again, he told authorities that he knew the murderer (whom Nick presumed dead), hoping to minimize charges in an unrelated case. Turns out the scapegoat was alive, which brought suspicion and conviction back to him.
While incarcerated, Nick meets volunteer Jacki Miles (Tessa Thompson), who becomes fascinated with his colorful stories, and he with her attention. But the play’s momentum stalls until nearly halfway through, when Jacki convinces Nick to pursue DNA testing to prove his innocence.
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Ferrentino employs a Greek chorus of singing actors who easily vacillate between incarcerated individuals, cops, guards, and judges. Still, it’s Brody and Thompson who most have come to see, and they’ve got plenty of stage time.
What they don’t have is chemistry. Jacki is a PhD student in Poetry, though it’s Nick who often offers a more colorful turn of phrase. Her narration, further dimmed by Heather Gilbert’s stark lighting, which casts much of the play in shadow, does little to propel their courtship.
Director David Cromer (Bug, Meet the Cartozians) 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.
Is ‘The Fear of 13’ worth seeing?
3 out of 5 stars
Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson making their Broadway debuts may be reason enough to go, even when Ferrentino’s play asks you to wait for a payoff that arrives later than it should — much like Nick Yarris’s exoneration.
- James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th Street, New York City
- Notable performers: Adrien Brody, Tessa Thompson
- Running time: Approximately 110 minutes, no intermission
- Performances through July 12, 2026
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