The cruelty of the Donmar’s intimate space is that only 251 people per performance will share the experience of Adrien Brody’s utterly captivating London stage debut in Lindsey Ferrentino’s gut-wrenching testament to the failure of judicial systems.

The Fear of 13 is based on the documentary film of the same name, telling the story of Nick Yarris who spent 22 years on death row while maintaining his innocence. Whether you are familiar with the case or not, the most devastating quality of this piece is its picture of human resilience and our capacity for hope. There were audible gasps, groans, tears and frustrated outcries from the audience at the Donmar Warehouse last night as we were inexorably drawn in and emotionally tangled in Yarris’ dogged pursuit of exoneration.

There are glimpses of brutality in this play, but rather than prison and policy brutality, a topic that is quite well-trodden, this story focuses more on the silence and impotence of prisoners. In many ways more damaging to the psyche, Ferrentino shows in her own masterful storytelling what can happen when people are given the space to exist and to share their own stories.

Director Justin Martin and designer Miriam Buether have created an immersive stage space whereby the audience feel like active participants, as though our judgment and sympathy, our power to listen and divine truth truly matter.

Every member of this ensemble is flawless. It seems redundant to comment on the prowess of an Academy Award-winning actor, but Adrien Brody is endlessly watchable. Most notably, his physicality is extraordinary – he slouches and slinks across the stage and at his most exposed and vulnerable, he collapses in on himself and shrinks like a kicked dog. Brody fills the stage with his charisma and executes with breathtaking fluidity a transition from brash, spunky juvenile offender to an older man hollowed out by countless injustices and frustrated hope.

Aside from the eminent star leading the show, the supporting cast of actors are in no way left behind or overshadowed. Nana Mensah, playing prison volunteer Jackie Schaffer, mirrors the audience in the way she is swept up in Yarris’ storytelling, and she conveys the ensuing heartbreak and grief with grace, tenderness and poise.

This show explores the power of storytelling and the importance of having a voice. Nowhere was this more poignant than in the acapella arrangements punctuating the show. A very apposite performance of Hozier’s ‘Work Song’ was the first instance during this show that we were tipped over into a flood of tears. For that, we think particular congratulations is due to the composer and music director DJ Walde.

This play is difficult to shake after leaving the theatre. An agonising and terrifying condemnation of the bureaucracy and mismanagement within the justice system, but one that is suffused with passion, hope and flashes of joy. Through the story of one man, The Fear of 13 presents a hymn to human resilience, to love and strength. Something that is always needed in the world, perhaps now more than ever.

Tender, lyrical and tenacious – don’t give up hope of trying to get a ticket to this sold-out run.

If this production, only the second in the newly-appointed Artistic Director’s inaugural season, is anything to go by, Tim Sheader’s tenure at the Donmar is going to be spectacular.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett

The Fear of 13 plays at the Donmar Warehouse until 30 November, with further info here.