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THURSD''^^’
Evolution Drama
To Open Tonight
THE LANCE
PAGE THREE
■‘INHERIT THE WIND". A play
by Jerome Lawrence and Robert
E. Lee. Produced by the High
land Players. Directed by Ho
ward Cobbs. Principal Cast:
Melinda .... Mary Bradley
Howard . . . Kirk McDonald
Rachel Nancy Coyle
Meeker Mac Damron
Cgtes Ken Culwell
Rev. Brown.. Maurice Edwards
Sillers Alan Bunn
Bannister David Dolge
Judge Tom Jones
Dunlap Randy Brame
Hombeck .... BUI Forrest
Mayor Jlni Pope
Brady Jon Graham
Drummond . . Louis Swanson
Esterbrook .... David Bunn
Designed by Arthur McDonald.
Costumes by Sue Slaney. Light
ing by Ron WUkerson. Produc
tion Assistant: Mac Damron.
Design Assistant: Danny Ml-
zeU. Make-up: Merrl Alexan
der. Stage Manager: Linda Lo
gan. Playing through Sunday in
the new Liberal Arts Audi
torium.
It’s obviously impossible to
have a review of a Thursday
night opening in a Thursday af
ternoon paper. (It’s quite hard
enough to review a Wednesday
night opening for Thursday’s
paper, since the review has to
be written by 8:00 Thursday
morning.) So if you haven’t al
ready guessed, this Is a review
of the final dress rehearsal of
"Inherit the Wind”, which opens
tonight.
Dress rehearsal or not, the
play ran very well last night,
and I was pleasantly surprised
by the quantity of actors new
to our stage who fill principal
roles and fill them well. What
with the new stage, which allows
McDonald’s scenic design to as
sume an outstandingly profes
sional look, plus an excellent
play by a pair of fine play
wrights, plus the largest cast
ever assembly for a show here,
“Inherit the Wind” has plenty
going for it. And the result Is
most satisfying.
I had my doubts concerning
the possibility of producing a
really absorbing play based on a
legal trial, but these have been
dispelled. As is fairly well
known, the play Is a seml-
flctional dramatization of the
notorious Scopes trial of 1925,
though all the names have been
changed and the setting is left
unspecified. What have been
captured by this production—In
addition to the cold history—
are the personalities of two law
yers caught in a legal battle of
wits, and the spirit and flavor
of a whole town totally Involved
in the courtroom proceedings.
The story follows the trial from
the first court session until the
final verdict three days later,
and depicts both the town’s In-
court and out-of-court acti
vities during those days.
John Scopes, the school tea
cher whose right to teach evolu
tionary theory in the public
school was the subject of the
trial, has become Bertram Ca
tes, played by Ken Culwell. He
Is a mild-mannered man, who at
one point is more willing to
switch than fight, but who does
fight out his case to the end at
the Inslstenceof his defense at
torney. The defender Is Henry
Drummond (drawn from Clar
ence Darrow), who speaks with
as much fire and wit as Thomas
More, brought to trial for trea
son In “Man for All Seasons”.
Louis Swanson, a newcomer to
our stage, is cast as Drummond;
he comes on with an Intensity
that makes his debut one of the
best surprises since Mary B.
Higgins popped up as Ophelia.
inHiw
One of the few familiar faces
in the show Is Jon Graham, who
does his strongest job to date
with the portrayal of Matthew
Harrison Brady, the character
based on William Jennings Br
yan. Mr. Graham’s Brady is a
proud but narrow-minded In
dividual whose smirks and stub-
borness arouse the anger ofthe
audience both at Brady and at
the town that cheers him on.
E. K, Hombeck (after H. L.
Mencken), the Journalist from
the Baltimore Herald, Is done
with admirable zest by Bill
Forrest, though the role is not
the finest of the several he has
done. Of those In supporting
roles, the most outstanding in
clude: Nancy Coyle, opposite
Mr. Culwell as a romantic in
terest; Tom Jones, the dignified
but sometimes Ignored judge;
Maurice Edwards as the local
evangelist; Jim Pope as apom-
pous small-town mayor; and
David Dolge and Alan Bunn,
humorous as prospective
jurors.
If ever a courtroom drama
was compelling and with ability
to make the audience feel drawn
right into the courtroom, this is
it. Howard Cobbs has taken what
might, with so great a cast, have
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become just a clumsy and con
trived show, and directed it with
life and a conviction that the
past Is as real as the present.
The production Is one the Play
ers can be proud of, both for the
quality of the visual production
(McDonald’s set does much to
capture the spirit of the place,
and Sue Slaney’s costumes much
to recall the time) and for the
fine acting by Individuals and
crowds. Reserve a seat while
there are still some left--for
“Inherit the Wind” Is a show
In which only the very apathetic 1
will find nothing worthwhile. 1
AIKEN
(Continued from Page 1)
sophy and Art,” “Morality and
the Language of Conduct,"
"philosophy In the Twentieth
Century,’’ and “Democracy”.
Dr. Aiken served on the facul
ties on Harvard, University of
Michigan, the University of
California at Los Angeles, and
the University of Washington
and was Guggenheim Fellow
in Italy and Spain during 1961-
62 before his appointment to
the Brandels faculty.
“The Future of Liberalism”
was his topic this morning as
he addressed the Senior C&C
class. He will speak tonight
on “Source of Moral Conflict
In the Contemporary World.”
Moral Conflict In the Contem
porary World.”
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