With Timothy Sheader’s first production at the Donmar Warehouse, comes this remarkable true story of an innocent man incarcerated on Death Row for 21 years.  He was 21 years old when he was on drugs and in order to plea bargain for an arrest involving a police officer, he implicated another man for the rape and murder of Linda Mae Craig.  The man he had accused, he thought was dead, but that man had an alibi and Yarris became the main suspect.  There was some identification evidence which later proved to be false but he was convicted and sentenced to death.  He had the same blood group as the murderer.

Years later he was exonerated by DNA evidence proving that it wasn’t him but getting to that point took 13 years of red tape, appeals and hearings.  In prison he educated himself and is now a writer.  Lindsey Ferrentino’s play is built from Yarris’ autobiography.  His motivation for education was that he wanted his last words to be intelligent and eloquent.

The opening scenes are quite scary in the prison with initially Aidan Kelly as the frightening guard, starting with what feels like a warning to turn off our phones, and turning into the full list of regulations to be observed by visitors to the prison.  Ferdy Roberts, as a terrifying inmate, large and hairy, takes over with shouting that no-one is allowed to speak and then trying to get Yarris to slip up by speaking that he understands the rule.  Talk about Catch 22. We see another inmate being beaten for speaking.