The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/ae/2005/11/18/inherit_the_wind

November 18, 2005 > Arts & Entertainment > Relevant ‘Wind’ boasts two impressive lead performances

Relevant ‘Wind’ boasts two impressive lead performances

By Elizabeth Mims | Thresher staff

Lovett College was wise to choose Inherit the Wind. The play’s many levels of meaning and current political relevance make it perfectly suitable for college audiences and college theater. And while two stellar lead performances anchor this production, Lovett’s overall execution is rather mediocre.

Based on the Scopes trial of 1925, the story takes the audience through the trial of a Tennessee schoolteacher who violates state law by teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The audience watches as one small-town man’s indictment becomes national news, thanks to the publicity of a famed reporter, E.K. Hornbeck (Lovett sophomore Trevor Murphy). Although the prosecuting attorney, Matthew Harrison Brady (Lovett freshman Nathan Bledsoe) and his jury of fellow fundamentalist Christians have the upper hand in court, the defense leaves a lasting mark, closing the play with a brilliant counterargument. Defense attorney Henry Drummond (Lovett senior Brian Doctrow) both humiliates Brady and spreads his evolutionist message to the town.

Parts of the play are reminiscent of the current political debate about intelligent design, thereby making a nice contemporary American ricochet — a shrewd pick by director and producer Amanda Anglin, a Lovett senior.

As timely as the production is, a cumbersome first act hinders the play’s overall effect. Because Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee wrote the first two scenes as chiefly expository, they lack drama. Furthermore, on the Lovett stage, they lack a sense of direction. What should be an engrossing introduction to the “buckle of the Bible Belt” town of Hillsboro gets drowned in clumsy blocking. Small dialogue exchanges are awkward and forced, making minor characters seem like caricatures miming their daily activities. And although the production makes effective use of the Lovett Commons’ lack of offstage area, the large open spaces on stage could be put to better use.

Hints in the script let us know the town of Hillsboro is small, Southern and very Christian, yet each character speaks with a different accent — ranging from thick Deep South to standard American. Some consistency in this respect would help the audience develop a keener sense of place.

The core of the play lies in the courtroom drama that fills the second and third acts — when Lovett’s production gains momentum.

In Act 2, the relationship between Brady and Drummond moves to the front, and the best moments in the production lie in the exchanges between these two actors. Their roles are distinct, sympathetic and confidently executed. Against the small-town backdrop, these two characters shine; their closing arguments shy away from traditional orations and venture into poetic monologues, shedding light onto each man’s personality. A very tangible chemistry flickers between Bledsoe and Doctrow, who take their exchanges into a realm that the rest of the Lovett cast does not reach, demonstrating that attempting careful command of the rich language in the play is a necessary risk.

The cast as a whole, while generally disjointed, does achieve moments of corporeal unity in the post-exposition scenes. There are several songs throughout the show, and the standout is a hymnal during a prayer meeting led by Reverend Jeremiah Brown (Lovett Resident Associate Rick Spuler). As the reverend finishes the sermon, members of the congregation begin to close their eyes and raise their hands in the air, attempting to touch the light of God, yelling “Amen!” and “Jesus!” before the cast breaks into song. Joy rings in everyone’s voice, the cast hit the notes and they smile to each other back and forth like a town full of real people devoted to worship. Song, in Lovett’s production, showcases a harmonious cast bond. In these moments of music, the audience is able to experience their same visceral delight.

Overall, Lovett’s production of Inherit the Wind alternates between poignant and mild. Because of several sharp performances, many less persuasive moments pale in comparison. But the show is quick, funny, full of stirring prose and definitely worth seeing.

End of article

Back to top