As I continually seek productions that are relevant, thoughtful, and engaging, community buzz about the Cardinal Stage Company's production of Inherit the Wind caught my ear. This production was a collaborative endeavor between Cardinal Stage and Indiana University's College of Arts and Sciences as a part of their them=es=ter focusing on "Evolution, Diversity, and Change".
Inherit the Wind asks the audience to weigh a topic that is just as relevant today as it was in 1925. The play, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, was inspired by the real events that played out in Dayton, Tennessee. The production's progam highlighted that, "a substitute biology teacher...named John T. Scoops volunteered himself as a violator of the Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools."
Lights up. We meet the youngest Hillsboro residents, Howard (Adam Berndt) who triumphantly pulls a worm from the ground, dangling it in front of the face of Melinda (Amara Crook) and allowing us to witness the innocence that will be a stark contrast to the courtroom drama that will follow. Similar to Scoops, Bertram Cates (Brian Bradshaw) finds himself arrested charged, and tried for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution, which brings together the equal and opposite forces of Matthew Harrison Brady (Ernest Perry, Jr.), follower of the word of the Bible, and Henry Drummon (Danny Goldring), called "the Devil" by young Melinda as she flees his presence. Head to head they argue and defend their beliefs in the evolution v. creationism debate.
Which side wins the ruling, I will not reveal, but I can say that this large ensemble cast created a realistic glimpse into the struggle and heartbeat within this small southern town where the controversy takes place. It would be difficult to identify a weak link among sincere and energetic performance. To bring such talent together from not only the Bloomington community, but from around the country allowed the audience to travel exactly to where it says it will -- It might be yesterday. It could be tomorrow.
It was a great honor to see the stage work of Goldring and Perry, whom I recognize from some of their previous television work. They were worthy adversaries on stage with power that kept me on the edge of my seat. My one wish for this production was a larger venue. While I appreciated the "in the round" choice, there were clearly some theatre-goers whose views were blocked during the courtroom scenes and there were moments of near misses with set pieces coming in and out. In addition, there is a certain level of discomfort when there are, at times, over twenty-five actors on stage at once. As the Cardinal Stage Company continues to work to establish a professional regional theatre in Bloomington, I am unsure if the local venues will be able to keep up.
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