'Inherit The Wind' Blows Into Town

'Inherit the Wind' blows into town

Scopes 'monkey' trial play to be presented by Civic Theatre

BY JENN MCKEE

News Arts Writer

Earlier this year, the state superintendent of schools in Georgia instructed science teachers to replace the word “evolution” with the phrase “biological changes over time” in the course of their instruction; and in the same state, disclaimers in many science textbooks now inform students that evolution “is a theory, not a fact.”

Not surprisingly, both moves have ignited a firestorm of controversy, demonstrating once again how strained, messy, and complicated the relationship is between the republic’s democratic ideals and the majority’s religious beliefs. And no play explores these fissures in our ideological landscape quite like “Inherit the Wind,” being staged by the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre starting Thursday.

“There’s a small number of classic American plays - and this is one of them - that realty defines who we are as a people,” said director Jon Elliott. “I first read the play 20 years ago, and I’ve been amazed at how it continues to apply.”

The classic drama is based on one of the most famous trials of the 20th century: the Scopes “monkey” trial, in which a teacher was prosecuted for teaching evolutionary theory to his students. Two legal heavyweights of the day - William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow - waged battle over this issue in 1920s Tennessee, and although playwrights Robert E. Lee and Jerome

Lawrence took liberties with reality while constructing “Inherit the Wind,” the resonant themes of the case remain the same.

“You can’t do the entire trial in a two-hour show - you have to use broad strokes,” said David Keren, who plays Matthew Harrison Brady (the character based on Bryan). “(The play) contends with two things. Number one, that (evolution) is a theory, and number two, that it doesn’t necessarily erase the ideas in the Bible, in religion. There’s a line in the play that says, “We weren’t planted here like geraniums in a pot,’ but the play also suggests that accepting evolutionary theory doesn’t rule out the possibility that everything was set in motion by a knowledgeable creator.”

The 1960 film version of the play, starring Spencer Tracy, bluntly took sides and championed the teacher and the Darrow-inspired character (Henry Drummond), but the stage version takes more pains to level the playing field somewhat.

“It definitely defends both sides,” said Keren. “My character is clearly in favor of the literal interpretation of everything in the Bible, but he gets caught in the details. ...It’s a complex character. This is a man who’s a brilliant man - he was a player on the national and international stage, he was an important figure in obtaining suffrage for women, and he worked with Wilson (as secretary of state) on World War I. But he got so focused on this narrow issue that all that he did before was forgotten. He’s kind of a tragic character, really.”

Larry Rusinsky, who plays Drummond, developed a sense of kinship with his character’s open-mindedness. “Politically speak-

ing, I’m on his side,” Rusinsky said. “I have a lot in common with the character philosophically. I like the evenhandedness - that he’s not a caricature - but it’s been a challenge getting this across, too. He feels very guilty about destroying this man (Brady). There’s a softer edge to (Drummond) than the lines suggest”

Elliott has encouraged such readings of the work among his cast. “I’ve looked at the play, and I don’t see villains,” he said. “Other people will, but I don’t. I just see people sticking to their ideas and beliefs.”

In Elliott’s mind, a centrally important scene depicts an energetic revival meeting. “A casual reader of the script might wonder, 'What’s going on?'" he said. “But to me, this is taking us down the path of where these people are, so you can see later what a journey they’ve made. It crystallizes how far everyone has had to go.”

PREVIEW

'Inherit the Wind'

Who: Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.

What: One of the most famous courtroom dramas of the American stage.

When: 8 p.m.Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. next Sunday.

Where: Towsley Auditorium, Washtenaw Community College.

How much: $19;students and seniors, $17; all Thursday tickets, $13.

Information: Call (734) 971-2228 or visit www.a2ct.org.