The courtroom drama, inspired by a Hungarian play Twelve in a Box by Ladislaus Bus-Fekete, centers on the relationship that develops between two sequestered jurors, Miss Scott and Mr. Campbell, during a lengthy murder trial.
The play premiered in Santa Barbara, then ran for two weeks each in San Francisco and Los Angeles, with Helen Hayes and Herbert Marshall in the lead roles.
[1] The Broadway production was produced by Gilbert Miller and co-directed by MacArthur and Lewis Allen.
It opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 17, 1939 and closed on January 13, 1940 after running for 105 performances.
Of the play Time said, "[it] brings Near-Divinity Helen Hayes back to Broadway in her first new role there since December 1935.