Highly Recommended Goodman Theatre’s thoughtful revival of Inherit the Wind, directed by Henry Godinez, is incredibly timely. To paraphrase a baseball pundit, it was like déjà vu all over again. The play, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, is loosely based on the famous 1925 Scopes ‘Monkey’ trial. There’s a lot of religious ranting and bigotry but the trial comes down to a battle of wits between two larger than life lawyers. By the way, the title comes from the Bible, Proverbs 11:29, as quoted by Henry Drummond. For me, the mark of a good play is in the discussion on the way home. My friend Crista, who happens to be a prosecutor, and I had a great time dissecting Inherit the Wind. 4 Spotlights
Eugene Scopes broke Tennessee state law when he taught Darwin’s theory of evolution to his high school students, so he was arrested and put on trial. The locals wanted to make a show of the trial so they invited famous attorney and politician Williams Jennings Bryan to assist the local prosecutor. Another famous attorney and former friend of Bryan’s, Clarence Darrow, defended Scopes.
As the lights come up, Rachel Brown (Tyler Meredith) is trying to persuade Bertram (Bert) Cates (Christopher Llewyn Ramirez), who’s sitting in a jail cell, to apologize to the School Board for teaching Darwin’s theories to his students at the high school. She claims Bert is just another teacher, but she’s way too worried for anyone to believe that.
The people in town have set up a potluck supper as they wait for the evening train. Everyone is excited because a national hero, Matthew Harrison Brady (Alexander Gemignani), due to arrive any minute, is going to assist the local DA, Tom Davenport (Christopher Kale Jones) in prosecuting Bert Cates.
While they’re waiting, the preacher, Reverend Jeremiah Brown (Ryan Kitley), is whipping the townsfolk into a frenzy with his fire and brimstone exhortations. When Brady arrives, he’s greet by the Mayor (William Dick) and other dignitaries and cheered by the townspeople. When he gravitates to the food, Mrs. Sarah Brady (Charin Alvarez) warns him to stay away from the fried food but he ignores her.
Rachel is interested in Bert so when her father condemns him, she defends him, but says something that could be misinterpreted, something that the prosecution could use. When Brady notices her slip, he leads her away from the crowd while encouraging her to confide in him.
An abrasive reporter from the Baltimore Herald, E.K. Hornbeck, played with panache by Mi Kang, offers a running commentary on events. Apparently, the Herald has even had a hand in finding an attorney to represent Bert. Henry Drummond (Harry Lennix) is a quiet man but a formidable opponent for Brady.
In the courtroom, the Judge (Kevin Gudahl) isn’t exactly the impartial juror he should be. In fact, he even allows Reverend Brown to announce a prayer meeting for that evening – over Henry Drummond’s strenuous objections.
Once a jury is chosen, Brady calls Rachel to the stand. She wants desperately to protect Bert, but does tell the truth. Her loyalty to the defendant earns her father’s wrath. Howard (Thomas Murphy Molony), a student at the high school, didn’t see anything wrong with what Mr. Cates was teaching.
Watching the two attorneys match wits was fascinating to me but Crista said it’s almost never like that in a real courtroom. The judge would stop the personal attacks before they ever got started.
Other speaking parts include Sillers (Terry Bell), who works at the feed store; the Storekeeper (Hamid Dehghani), Sillers’ employer; Elijah (Meighan Gerachis), who sells Bibles to the crowd; Dunlap/Radio Man (Lawrence Grimm); Melinda (Presley Rose Jones); and Mrs. Krebs (Penelope Walker), a fervent supporter of Rev. Brown and leader of the Ladies’ Aid Society which set up the potluck. Interestingly, the Bailiff, Meeker (Robert Schleifer), never spoke, instead using American Sign Language even when swearing in witnesses.
Playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee intended Inherit the Wind as a criticism of the McCarthyism of the 1950s and as a defense of intellectual freedom. After being rejected by eight Broadway producers, Inherit the Wind premiered in January 1955 in Dallas to rave reviews. Just a few months later the play premiered on Broadway. Four film adaptations of the play have been made, in 1960, 1965, 1988 and 1999. Somewhere along the line, I saw a movie adaptation (there are four), but I can’t remember ever seeing the play.
Inherit the Wind has been extended through October 20th in the Goodman Theatre’s Albert Theatre,170 N. Dearborn, Chicago. Most reasonable parking option for the Goodman is the Government Center garage on Lake between LaSalle and Dearborn, $20 online advance payment at www.interparkonline.com/goodmantheatre.
Running time is two hours, 15 minutes, with an intermission. Performances are: Wednesdays at 7:30 pm; Thursdays at 2:00 & 7:30 pm; Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 and 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm. Tickets $25-$95. FYI (312) 443-3800 or https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/inherit-the-wind/