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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Inherit the Wind
Playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee used the true story of the 1925 "Monkey Trial" in Tennessee as a proxy for attempts to police speech in their own era–and others yet to come. The play, which opened on Broadway in 1955 and was filmed in 1960, concerns a teacher in a small Southern town who, by presenting Charles Darwin's studies on evolution in class, violates a state law requiring that only the biblical description of creation can be taught. Soon, nationally famous lawyers come to town to argue the opposing viewpoints, followed by a famously combative newspaperman who plans to spread the story nationwide. First of all, the in-the-round Fichandler Stage is an inspired venue for this story: the audience members sitting on all four sides of the action become part of the onstage community. One difference about this production compared with earlier ones is that the cast size, originally 50 actors, is now slimmed down to 10, five of whom are ensemble members who embody several roles during the performance. Director Ryan Guzzo Purcell keeps the story speeding along, beginning with Noah Plomgren as defendant Bertram Cates, who only wants to share the science he loves with his students, and anguished Rachel Brown (Rebecca Madeira): she loves Cates but is emotionally dominated by her fire-and-brimstone preacher father (Todd Scofield). Standouts in the talented cast include the stentorian Dakin Matthews, perfect as the bombastic politician defending the Bible against Darwin; Billy Eugene Jones as his opposing counsel, more plain-spoken but just as determined; and Alyssa Keegan as the cynical reporter covering the trial. While all the ensemble members carry the story forward, changing their characters as they (sometimes humorously) slip into different costumes designed by An-Lin Dauber, Holly Twyford stands out as both Matthews' solicitous wife and the exhausted-looking bailiff taking care of Plomgren. At first, Tanya Orellana's set design is confusing: the floor is the color of dirt and the pieces of scenery are abstract wooden boxes. (It looks more like the outskirts of a desert community than a tree-lined Southern town.) That impression changes with Xavier Pierce's atmospheric lighting and the clever use of drapes and other elements to create specific locations in the courtroom and the town. Inherit the Wind runs through April 5, 2026, at Arena Stage, Fichandler Stage, Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org. By Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Cast: (in alphabetical order) |
