Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.
Directed by Doug Hughes.
Synopsis: INHERIT THE WIND is a fictionalized retelling of the famous 1925 "Monkey Trial," in which science teacher John Scopes was tried and convicted for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution, violating a Tennessee law that forbade teaching any theory that conflicted with the Biblical conception of Divine Creation.
NEW YORK TIMES:
"The handsome wooden courtroom that has been erected on the stage of the Lyceum Theater is Christopher Plummer’s personal playground. This may sound like a frivolous description of a forum for the lofty and abidingly important debate that occupies “Inherit the Wind,” the 1955 drama that opened last night, also starring Brian Dennehy, in a revival that is just about as wooden as its set."
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"In the closing scene of "Inherit the Wind," defense attorney Henry Drummond warns, "You don't suppose this kind of thing is ever finished, do you?" That line points up the already evident truth in this half-century-old nugget of robust Americana -- that fundamentalism of any kind breeds, and continues to breed, closed-minded bigotry, constituting a threat to freedom of thought and the circulation of ideas. But even without its ample contemporary parallels, Doug Hughes' dynamic production would be crackling entertainment, enlivened by the vigorous verbal sparring of two great lions of the stage, Brian Dennehy and Christopher Plummer."
Read the whole review HERE.
NY1 ON STAGE:
"Inspired by the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, the drama by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee has only deepened with age. And with this outstanding Broadway production featuring two titans of the stage, we have one of the season's most engrossing and satisfying nights in the theatre. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"In a brashly manipulative play that pushes all the right buttons, the blustering Dennehy and the cunning Plummer pounded those buttons with unashamedly flaunting brilliance. "
Read the whole review HERE.
THEATERMANIA:
"Spencer Tracy, who played the role modeled on Clarence Darrow in the movie version of Inherit the Wind, reportedly said about acting, "Don't let 'em catch you at it." In the current revival of the Pulitzer-nominated Jerome Lawrence-Robert E. Lee courtroom drama, there's enough violation of that unwritten show business law by Tony Award winners Christopher Plummer, Brian Dennehy, and Denis O'Hare to justify calling out several NYPD squad cars."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEWSDAY:
"If you're going to grandstand in the theater, why not make a really grand stand? So it is with "Inherit the Wind," the creaky but still timely "monkey trial" melodrama that opened last night at the Lyceum Theater with spare-no-expense spectacle, a crackerjack gospel quartet and half the best supporting actors in New York."
Read the whole review HERE.
TIME OUT NY:
"But it is the splendid Plummer—playing Henry Drummond, stand-in for the great defender Clarence Darrow—who dominates and elevates the action: Wearing his body like a weather-beaten mitt, his neck craned forward from an otherwise slumping shape, he rules the stage like an eagle in his aerie."
Read the whole review HERE.
VILLAGE VOICE:
" If the issues aren't engaged powerfully, Hughes's staging keeps the personal combats lively and fluid. "
Read the whole review HERE.
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