By Joe Straw
He that
troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of
heart. – Proverbs 11:29 – King James Bible
This is my first venture to the Grove Theatre Center in Burbank. On a map, find the intersection of W. Olive
Avenue and N. Victory Boulevard. The
first street north of W. Olive Avenue is W. Clark Drive. Take a left and find a large parking lot to
your left. Drive to the end of the
parking lot and look for a building that looks like a theatre. There’s a sign outside as well. All this is
important to know because you don’t want to miss this great cast giving an
inspired night of theatre.
Wasatch
Theatrical Ventures presents Inherit the Wind written by Jerome Lawrence and
Robert E. Lee, directed by Kiff Scholl and produced by Racquel Lehrman, Theatre
Planners through March 16, 2014 at the Grove Theatre Center in Burbank.
This theatre in a park looks a lot like a community theatre, and is a small
black box venue. Upon entrance the
stage is bare. The minimal look designed
by Adam Haas Hunter, features some drawings on the upstage wall of a political
cartoon and Darwin’s drawing from On The Origin of Species. My first observation when I sit is: this is
just about the actor creating a life of his/her own making. I pray the acting
is above par, and hope for the best.
But something happens after the first few moments of this bare stage
production, the actors start filling the space, giving us rich characters, real
people, and all living a unique life working toward a common goal.
Never underestimate theatre in Los Angeles.
The play starts with a young man, among the dirt and grime outdoors; Howard
Blair (Dutch Hofstetter) discovers a worm and presents the wiggly, slippery,
slimy object to someone of his affections, Melinda (Rachel Werline). Howard mentions something about worms crawling
up from the muck, to monkeys, to human, as he places the worm in her face. She
in none too pleased, squeals at his nasty antics, and runs off, although slightly
enamored by his display.
It is a very interesting place to start, at the beginning, life’s beginning
with the birth of a thought, and from there, a notion of what’s to take place. Director Kiff Scholl’s evolution starts right
there, moving from a direction of ignorance into a state of enlightenment.
Rachel Brown (Laurel Reese), the preacher's daughter, slightly more mature
in body and less in mind, carries a package of shirts for her boyfriend. She asks the jailer Meeker (David Reynolds) if
she could see her love Bert Cates (Robbie Winston) a man in jail for teaching
evolution. Their meeting is an
embarrassing situation for both. He is grimy, sweating in a hot cell, on this
humid Hillsboro summer for sake of his convictions. And she is uncomfortable for matters that are entirely
different.
“Why
can’t you be on the right side?” – Rachel
But Bert, having second thoughts about being in jail or being with Rachel,
decides jail is his best option. In reality it is his principle that is the
focus of his attention. He takes the shirt and goes back to jail. Still, this does not bode well for the
evolution of their relationship.
No matter, the townsfolk anticipate the arrival of former presidential
candidate Matthew Harrison Brady (Robert Craighead) and his wife, Mrs. Brady
(Rosemary Stevens) coming in on the train.
They are all part of the same flock led by Reverend Brown (Alan Brooks) and
wait for their savior to deliver them from the unspeakable horrors of knowledge,
and enlightenment.
And as the townsfolk run to greet their deliverer, an odd man with unusual
ideas enters the common fray, E.K. Hornbeck (J. Richey Nash), a reporter from the Baltimore Herald. He is satirist embedded
to write about his observations, and he publicly acknowledges the proceedings
will be a sham and a waste of the taxpayer’s money.
Naytheless, Matthew Harrison Brady, large and encumbered, with his wife by
his side, totes the Bible in one hand, if not literally, figuratively, and a plate
of food in the other, much to the dismay of Mrs. Brady, who manages his girth,
and wants to keep him around for a few more years.
The Mayor of Hillsboro (Edmund Wyson) greets Mr. Brady and honors him with
the title “Colonel Brady” as set forth by the provisions of the state much to
the enjoyment of the Christian onlookers standing nearby.
Tom Davenport (Amir Levi) introduces himself as a lawyer that will be
assisting Mr. Brady during the course of the trail.
When it is learned that Henry Drummond (Mark Belnick), a noted lawyer and
former friend to Brady, will be working for the defense, Brady, slightly
worried, accepts the challenge. And with
pie in hand Brady finds his first witness in the likes of Rachel Brown, Bert
Cate's girlfriend, and takes her along for questioning to his hotel. It is a
step in a rather curious direction to gain a foothold in a trial he does not
want to lose.
“Why is
it, my old friend, that you’ve moved so far away from me?” – Matthew Harrison
Brady
“All
motion is relative, Matt. Maybe it’s you
who have moved away by standing still.” – Henry Drummond
Donald Agnelli is the Judge, who notably
has a thankless task, while there are two lawyers fighting for the heart of the
nation. His justice is not blind, because he lives and works in this bible
carrying community. In reality, we know
the side he is on. Agnelli does well as
the Judge although there may be other creative choices that would highlight the
Judge’s conflict. Still this tall statuesque actor holds his own
in this battle, and does a fine job.
Mark Belnick plays Henry Drummond
a highly respected lawyer from Chicago who has brought the fight with him to
battle a former presidential candidate.
There’s only one problem, the Judge won’t let him bring any evidence
into the hearing. (Southern Justice) Still Drummond has enough fight in him to establish
a legacy in this important fight, to defeat the law and establish lasting
change by winning this case. Belnick is
a litigation lawyer in real life and with that experience behind him, I was curious
to watch the actor play an attorney. This
adds to the night of interesting observations. At first Belnick appears
uncomfortable with the physical life of this lawyer and is not completely comfortable
with the character’s movements on stage. On this particular night, the
concentration was off, the physical life and movement was not directed to the
intended parties in meeting the objective of the character. Still there was a
moment when the lights went on, when physical met mental and an astute analysis
of the given moment made a heck of a lot of sense. It was in this moment when the life of
Drummond soared, and we got the implacable courage of this character. And it
was also the moment when Belnick took complete control. These are the moments you live for when
venturing out to theatre.
Steven Scot Bono plays George Sillers
an employee of the feed store. Bono completes the cast in the way that makes
this production remarkable.
Alan Brooks is Reverend Brown a
man of the cloth who gathers his flock to protest the goings on in the
courtroom. He is there for the good of the land, the people, the nation, and the
world. But, with that, he leaves behind
his daughter with his passions set for the common good and temporary loses her until
another day. Brooks is a fine actor with a number of wonderful moments in this
play.
Robert Craighead plays Matthew
Harrison Brady, a man who is mistaken for the second coming. Brady is a former
presidential candidate with a grand way with words and an appetite to feed his strong
vocal machine. He is there to placate
the masses of the willing followers. Craighead
has a powerful voice, an unmistakable presence, and is an unforgettable actor.
Scott Golden has a variety of
roles as the Reuters Reporter, Jesse H. Dunlap and Esterbrook and each role is
entirely a unique character filled with wonderful creative choices. Golden make
the most of his limited time onstage with these characters and is extremely
funny as Esterbrook.
Nicholas Goldreich plays Bill Bannister,
has a good look, and does a fine job making the most of his matters on stage.
Dutch Hofstetter plays Howard Blair.
Hofstetter gives Blair has a slightly daffy persona and it works well in this
performance. Hofstetter is clear and concise
in his objective and there is not a wasted moment in his limited time on stage.
Amir Levi is Tom Davenport one
of the prosecuting attorneys. Levi has a
strong voice, sometimes overpowering for this small venue. And as the character he got his point across
more times than not. But the ill-fitting
thick black glasses on his face appeared to sit high on his nose. Instead of seeing his eyes, we saw his
eyebrows. (Maybe a slight exaggeration.)
And one would have to guess for what
purpose. To make the character slightly
foolish when his objective is to win the case at any cost. Still Levi did a very fine job and had a
number of marvelous moments.
J. Richey Nash plays E.K. Hornbeck
with panache. (That rhymes.) He is a
reporter/critic who reviews the theatrical experience that is the trial.
Hornbeck’s manner in which he does his job (one would guess by total recall) is
an excellent choice by Nash. And the
manner in which Hornbeck relates to the other characters also makes for
terrific work. Hornbeck’s presence is
slightly disarming to the townsfolk. A
complete deipnosophist, left alone, not to be invited for a southern home
cooked meal to share his wisdom. How tragic. But Hornbeck appears to be a
devilish character to the town folks, stepping his red hoof, to get a toehold into
this Christian community. They are not amused
by his antics (and perhaps they should be at times). Still they just let the devil walk right on
by. Nash’s work is marvelous.
Laurel Reese plays Rachel Brown,
the preacher’s daughter and the love interest of the man on trial. Rachel is caught between the love of those
two men and her religion is the conflict that keeps her at bay. This is a tricky role that has this
particular actress on the floor, center stage, crying her eyes out, with hardly
anyone to help her, when at this time she should be pleading for help, either
from her father, or her boyfriend. Rachel knows what she wants, she has a choice
she must make, but she must make absolutely sure she is making the right choice,
in order for the tears, center stage, to work.
David Reynolds does some good work as
Meeker/Elijah. Reynolds has a
distinctive look and his characters work well in this locale.
Suzan Solomon has a nice voice as
Mrs. Blair, a parishioner and strong believer. She makes the most of the scene
changes and does a fantastic job.
Rosemary Stevens is excellent as Mrs.
Brady. Mrs. Brady does her best to keep
her husband away from the food because she knows it will do him more harm than
good. Mrs. Brady presents a rather impressive form. She is the wife of a former presidential
candidate and hopes that one day they will get to the White House. Stevens bring a vivacious life to Mrs. Brady,
filled to the brim with life, hope and the deepest well of sincerity. It’s just
downright terrific work.
Rachel Werline plays Melinda, has a
strong presence, and a quirky manner as one of the townsfolk.
Robbie Winston is Bert Cates, the
man who is in prison for teaching evolution. Cates is resolute in his
principles and will stay in prison no matter the cost. He is strong but seems beaten by the
attention he is receiving and not from the one that matters most, his
girlfriend. Winston has a very good look and a quiet manner that may work well
in this industry.
Edmund Wyson plays the Mayor and
does some very nice work. The Mayor is a
man who has higher aspirations. Not set
on being a small time mayor he oversteps his authority by appointing Drummond the
honorary title of “Colonel” and, without state approval. This deed worries him to death. Wyson gives a terrific performance.
Kiff Scholl, the director, does
a fantastic job. This is a large cast and
for the most part the entire cast fit, working together to give us a great
night of theatre. There is an interesting moment when Matthew Harrison Brady says
God talks to him. The moment is hardly
acknowledged either by the people in the courtroom or by Drummond.
The southern accents varied. In real
life, the play is a fictional account of the Scopes Monkey Trial that takes
place in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. But Jerome
Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the
writers, give us Hillsboro, a sleepy country town in a non-defined state and
maybe that accounts for the variety in accents. My preference is Tennessee accents, from the
citizen of this town, and, growing up in Tennessee, I was hard-pressed to find
one on this night.
Racquel Lehrman,
Theatre Planners is the Producer of this fine production.
Victoria Watson of Theatre
Planners is the Associate Producer.
Michael Gend is the Lighting
Designer.
The Costume Designer is Shannon A.
Kennedy does an outstanding job for this production. A lot of hard work went into dressing the
characters appropriately.
Matthew Richter was the Sound
Designer. There’s a lot here to play
with in terms of sound but I found it satisfactory.
Nora Feldman is the Publicist.
Peppur Chambers did an excellent job
as the Casting Director.
Amber Bruegel was the Production
Stage Manager and Erica Lawrence is
the Assistant Stage Manager.
Run! Run! Run! And take a Unitarian Universalist if you
happen to think about it.
Buy tickets/Info: www.plays411.com/inherit
or (323) 960-7721
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