The Fear of 13, Adrien Brody’s Criminal Broadway Debut

I had no such ambivalence viewing The Fear of 13, Lindsey Ferrentino’s stage adaptation, now at Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre. I knew it was bullshit within minutes of Adrien Brody pimp-rolling onstage, flailing his arms like an extra in a hip-hop music video. Telegraphing hoodlum-with-a-heart-of-gold while declining to explore the idiosyncrasies that make Yarris a compelling character, Brody is giving the kind of performance that should have never made it past the rehearsal room, one that unhelpfully raises questions beyond the scope of the play: If Nick grew up on the mean streets of Philadelphia, why does he talk like he’s from Canarsie? If there was a Tony Award for Fraudulent Performance by an A-lister in a Play, Brody would have it on lock with this head-scratching Broadway debut.