Described by its creators as a “parable” about mind control, Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, gives what is nowadays called a “suggested by a true story” treatment to the famous Scopes “Monkey Trial.” The trial was a test case, fomented by the American Civil Liber ties Union (ACLU), which took place in Tennessee in 1925. It challenged the state’s Butler Act, which outlawed the teaching of evolution. John Scopes, a local teacher, was named the defendant in the case. It was a nationwide media sensation, with star lawyers Clarence Darrow for the defense and William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution.  When the play was first produced in the 1950s, it used the fundamentalist-inspired prohibition on teaching evolution as a metaphor for the Red Scare. Today, it has obvious resonance with state- and federal-level repression of discussions of race, queerness, and political dissent. The company of ‘Inherit the Wind.’ Photo by Daniel Rader. According to the program, the play’s original production featured 50 actors. In today’s more austere budgetary climate, Arena’s production — done in association with Seattle’s The Feast company — makes do with 10, requiring members of the ensemble to play multiple roles. Under the direction of Ryan Guzzo Purcell, the skilled ensemble members seamlessly make frequent, often rapid transitions between characters. With just a change of hat, costume piece, or vocal inflection, an actor portrays a character of a different gender, age, or social position in the fictional town of Hillsboro.  The virtue of the small cast approach to the play, combined with Tonya Orellana’s largely non-representational wooden movable-platform and folding-chair set design, is that it focuses attention on the battle of ideas at the heart of the play’s message, nudging the audience away from any misapprehension that the play is just a history lesson. Similarly, in keeping with the production’s emphasis on the universality of the play’s themes, An-Lin Dauber’s highly varied costume design does not hew to 1925 period dress styles.  The principal defect of these virtues is that the small cast size and the production’s style remove the action of the play from the context of a specific time and place. Often, examining something universal — here, the necessity of freedom of thought — is best conveyed through something very specific. In this production, however, the density of a real community is lacking. A hot dog stand represents the circus atmosphere that enveloped Hillsboro (and its real-life counterpart, Dayton, Tennessee). A single actor stands in for a jury. Staged beautifully at the end of the first act with large white banners suggestive of a tent meeting, a Christian rally intended to show the whole town’s support of God and the Bible is, given the cast size, sparsely attended. By having ensemble members circle the periphery of the stage as action among the principals unfolds, Purcell makes a valiant attempt to show community involvement in the proceedings, but it falls short.  It is possible to construct a full, convincing, specific world in a production with a modest-sized cast who play multiple roles, without elaborate representational sets. Under Milkwood (which began as a Dylan Thomas radio play), The Laramie Project, or, on a somewhat larger scale, Come From Away succeed in doing so. The sense of community evoked by good productions of these shows did not land here.  Among the principals, Matthew Harrison Brady (played by Dakin Matthews) — the play’s stand-in for Bryan — appears weary and defeated from his first entrance, perhaps never having recovered from his three losing Presidential candidacies. There is no sign of the charisma and oratorical power — even if now past its peak — with which Bryan transfixed large portions of the country during a stellar (and often strongly progressive) political career. He merely bloviates. He does have a moment of kindness when he intervenes to protect Rachel from her father’s punitive religious excess.  Billy Eugene Jones (as Henry Drummond) and Dakin Matthews (as Matthew Harrison Brady) in ‘Inherit the Wind.’ Photo by Daniel Rader. His antagonist, Henry Drummond (played by Billy Eugene Jones) — the play’s equivalent of Clarence Darrow — in his suave, closely fitting maroon suit, circles Brady like a shark during his direct examination in the trial scene, looking not only to vindicate his passion for free thought but to destroy a weakened foe and everything he stands for. It’s an uneven match from the beginning. There is both idealism and cruelty in Drummond’s advocacy. In a production that does not aim for historical accuracy, Drummond appears considerably younger than Brady, perhaps suggesting newer ideas replacing older ones. (In reality, Darrow was a few years older than Bryan.) These characters are embodiments of ideas — Biblical inerrancy vs. free thought. In the ingenue role of Rachel Brown, which can often get lost in the tumult, Rebecca Madeira creates a fully rounded, affecting character who simply wants to live a peaceful life on her own terms. Rachel is in love with Bert Cates, the defendant (a schoolteacher, the play’s stand-in for Scopes), and the daughter of hellfire-and-brimstone preacher Jeremiah Brown. In this performance, Rachel, at risk of becoming collateral damage in the play’s war of ideas, moves closer to being the emotional center of the play than I have seen in previous productions. E.K. Hornbeck (Alyssa Keegan), who represents Baltimore-based reporter and critic H.L. Mencken, often perches in the shadows, partway up an aisle of the theater, observing the community from a distance. In the script’s dialogue, Hornbeck’s witty cynicism sometimes sounds like that of a precocious undergraduate more than that of a seasoned journalist. At play’s end, Drummond rebukes Hornbeck’s contempt for Brady and for the people of Hillsboro: boobs, Hornbeck calls them, presaging recent references to “deplorables.” The rebuke is ironic in that Drummond — who seems to want it both ways — has just finished demolishing Brady, and the beliefs he holds dear, on the stand. The company of ‘Inherit the Wind.’ Photo by Daniel Rader. Todd Scofield makes a strong impression in two important supporting roles, as the tyrannical Rev. Brown and the trial judge who appears to prefer that the case go away as quickly as possible. Noah Plomgren’s athletic physicality as Bert Cates feels somewhat at odds with the character’s wavering emotions and uncertain commitment to the case. Jordan Friend has some memorable musical moments as part of the ensemble. Washington area theater stalwart Holly Twyford is featured as the maternal Mrs. Brady and Mr. Meeker, the friendly local jailer. The Scopes trial became a humiliating public defeat for the fundamentalist Protestant movement that tried to undo “modernist” tendencies in Christianity. It took decades for that movement to reassert itself, ultimately morphing into today’s Christian Nationalism, which has had much greater success than its predecessor of a century ago.  Inherit the Wind was first produced in 1955, 30 years after the Scopes trial, within the living memory of many audience members of the time. From today, that event was 101 years ago, and the play itself 71 years ago. The revival was intended as a reminder of themes and issues that still bedevil us. As a program note states, in the current climate of repression, “More and more of us will find ourselves — in school board meetings, dining rooms, neighborhood groups, and voting booths — taking part in dramas like the one on this stage. In this theater, through Lawrence and Lee’s American parable, we can cultivate the courage and integrity to meet this moment in history.”  Arena’s production succeeds in conveying this needed message. Running Time: Approximately two hours and ten minutes, including one intermission.  Inherit the Wind plays through April 5, 2026, in the Fichandler Stage at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC. Tickets are available online ($73–$128) or by visiting TodayTix. Tickets may also be purchased through the Sales Office by phone at 202-488-3300, Tuesday through Sunday, 12-6 p.m., or in person at 1101 Sixth Street SW, DC, Tuesday through Sunday, 2 hours prior to each performance. Groups of 10+ may purchase tickets by phone at 202-488-4380. Arena Stage’s many savings programs include “pay your age” tickets for those aged 35 and under; military, first responder, and educator discounts; student discounts; and “Southwest Nights” for those living and working in the District’s Southwest neighborhood. To learn more, visit arenastage.org/savings-programs. The Inherit the Wind program is online here. Buy Tickets Discount Tickets The post Arena Stage revives ‘Inherit the Wind’ for a new era of cultural battles appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less