Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The opening show at Attleboro Community Theatre’s 62nd season is “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. While this Tony Award winning play debuted in 1955, its story is as relevant today as it was then. It is a fictionalized account based on the Scopes monkey trial of 1925, when a Tennessee teacher was arraigned for reading passages from “On the Origins of Species” to his pupils. The teacher, Bertram Cates is a callow Darwinian. The real battle in this show is between the two counsels. For the prosecution, in Hillsboro, a small town in the Bible belt, is Matthew Harrison Brady, a thrice defeated presidential candidate and a religious fundamentalist. Opposing him is Henry Drummond from Chicago who believes in the right to individual thought. The controversial subject of evolution versus creationism causes two polar opposites to engage in one explosive battle of beliefs. Says Jerome Lawrence about this play, “We used the teaching of evolution as a parable, a metaphor for any kind of mind control. It’s not about science versus religion. It’s about the right to think.” Director Kelli Tallman casts 23 performers in these roles. They make us see how the more things change the more they stay the same. People have to remember their individuality and not be controlled or swayed to think one way or the other due to the popularity of one person or one cause.
Kelli uses music from this time period in the show including religious songs “Old Time Religion” and a comic song “Monkey Business” to lighten the heavy drama of the show. When this show was first written in 1955, the McCarthy hearings were fresh in the minds of the American public, having come to an end two years earlier. The mindset of the country was that there was a Communist hiding behind every tree. This can be comparable to some current day feelings on illegal immigrants, fake news and alterative facts and everyone minds blindly follow the dictates of those in charge without having a free thought of their own. “Inherit the Wind” is a marvelous example that freedom of thought is important for not just the selected few but for everyone. There are electrifying moments in this show especially in the trial sequences. Some of the standout performers in this show are Paul Nolette playing Henry Drummond who is based on Clarence Darrow and Paul Tourville as Matthew Harrison Brady who based on William Jennings Bryan. They both deliver multilayered performances and stun the crowd with their enormous amounts of dialogue. Paul Nolette has to convince the jury the right to free thought is the crux of the matter. Drummond cautions Cates to beware of all shine and no substance. I last saw Paul in “Mack and Mabel” in Pawtucket back in 1978 before he moved to CA. He is brilliant in this role. Paul Tourville has to use the religious ideals the character has been championing for many years. Brady quotes Proverbs when he states “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise in heart.” Their combined efforts wins them a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the show.
Matthew Moos does a marvelous job as the cynical journalist, E.K. Hornbeck who is based on H.L. Mencken. He keeps things boiling in this small town by bringing in the hot shot lawyer from Chicago. Bertram Cates, the defendant is excellently played by Bob Lively. His earnest and brilliant portrayal is a shining moment in the show. Another standout performance is by Ryan Foster as Mrs. Brady who has a tugging of the heartstrings scene with her husband when he is crushed by being laughed at in the courtroom. Two comic performers are Jay DiLisio as Mr. Bannister who can’t read and Joe Livingston as the Mayor who talks directly to the audience to help win him reelection in town. So for a thought provoking show from the past that still resonates with contemporary audiences, be sure to catch “Inherit the Wind” at Attleboro Community Theatre.
INHERIT THE WIND (5 to 21 October)
Attleboro Community Theatre, 71 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA
1(508)226-8100 or www.attleborocommunitytheatreACT@gmail.com
