The Goodman's "Inherit the Wind" Tells a Story of Fear and Prejudice
October 20, 2024 23:12 Comments [0]Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee wrote "Inherit the Wind" in 1955. They based the story on the 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial" - a case in which the state of Tennessee accused high school teacher John Scopes of teaching the theory of evolution to his students.
Although Lawrence and Lee drew on many facts from the 1925 trial, they fictionalized the story, changing the names of all those involved, including famous lawyers Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. In this version, Scopes became Bertran Cates, Darrow became Henry Drummond, Bryan became Matthew Harrison Brady, and the authors took liberties with some historical facts.
I saw a production of this play Friday evening at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. Under Henry Godinez's direction, Collette Pollard's minimalist set and Jessica Pabst's simple costumes allowed the authors' dialogue and themes to shine.
Henry Lennix as Drummond and Alexander Gemignani fille the stage with their orations and verbal sparring. Lennix has numerous TV and movie credits to his name, including The Martian Manhunter in Zac Snyder's Justice League. As in that role, he brings dignity and aloofness to the character of Drummond.
This play is a legal drama about the characters involved. However, it is also about human prejudice and how popular opinion can set itself against what is right. Lawrence and Lee made no secret that they intended their story as a commentary on the dangers of Joseph McCarthy and the harm caused by the fear he stoked. One can make a similar case today, as some leaders try to inspire hatred and division at the cost of the vulnerable folks in our society.
"Inherit the Wind" has lessons for us all over seventy years after its debut.