Inherit the Wind (play)

Inherit the Wind is an American play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, which debuted in Dallas under the direction of Margo Jones in 1955.

However, the playwrights state in a note at the opening of the play that it is not meant to be a historical account,[3] and there are numerous instances where events were substantially altered or invented.

[4][5] For instance, the characters of the preacher and his daughter were fictional, the townspeople were not hostile towards those who had come to Dayton for the trial, and Bryan offered to pay Scopes' fine if he was convicted.

In fact, the popular film that was nominated for four Academy Awards and has helped shape the American understanding of the 'Scopes Monkey Trial' for decades is an inadequate reflection of history.

"[6] Playwright Lawrence explained in a 1996 interview that the drama's purpose was to criticize the then-current reign of McCarthyism.

According to Lawrence, "we used the teaching of evolution as a parable, a metaphor for any kind of mind control [...] It's not about science versus religion.

Brown and leader of the Ladies' Aid Society; Mr. Bannister, a local citizen; Elijah, an illiterate man from the nearby woods who sells Bibles to the crowd; Harry Esterbrook, a radio reporter from Chicago; Jesse Dunlap, a local farmer; George Sillers, an employee at the feed store; and the Storekeeper, Sillers' employer.

The play begins with local high school student Howard Blair looking for worms in front of the Hillsboro courthouse.

Meeker tells Bert that Matthew Harrison Brady is coming to town to help prosecute the case.

Meeker talks about a time when he was a young man, and saw Mathew Harrison Brady during one of his failed presidential campaigns.

E. K. Hornbeck, a reporter for the Baltimore Herald, enters and in a soliloquy cruelly ridicules the people of Hillsboro.

Members of the Ladies' Aid Society set up a table and a buffet lunch on the courthouse lawn as Brady talks about how he will fight Cates' legal counsel.

The scene ends with everyone in the town escorting the Bradys to a nearby hotel and the introduction of Drummond, who is regarded as the devil.

Present are Matthew Harrison Brady, Henry Drummond, Tom Davenport, the Mayor, the Judge, and many townspeople (sitting behind the defense and prosecution and watching the proceedings).

Davenport, the local district attorney, questions Mr. Bannister to see if he is an acceptable juror to the prosecution.

After recessing the court, the Judge announces that Reverend Brown will hold a prayer meeting later that night.

Two workmen discuss whether to take down the "Read Your Bible" banner which hangs over the entrance to the courthouse, and decide not to.

Brady enters with Hornbeck and some reporters from "Reuters News Agency", and discusses his past close relationship with Drummond.

Brown engages in call and response with the crowd, preaching about how God created the world in six days.

Drummond presents a monologue in which he declares morality is meaningless but truth is valuable, then dismisses Howard from the stand.

Brady again questions Rachel, demanding to know if Cates denied the reality of God and compared marriage to the breeding of animals.

Drummond submits that science has forced the human race to abandon its faith in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

Brady responds by accusing Drummond of trying to destroy people's faith, and that God spoke directly to the authors of the Bible.

The mass media have been making the town look bad, and the Mayor asks the Judge to go easy on Cates should there be a guilty verdict.

With Jones directing, Inherit the Wind premiered in Dallas on January 10, 1955, and received rave reviews.

[7] Shumlin directed, with actors Paul Muni, Ed Begley and Tony Randall in the cast.

[11] In the 1990s Jason Miller and Malachy McCourt starred in a Philadelphia production that broke that city's long run records.

[citation needed] In 2006 several scenes were translated to Italian for the first time by Luca Giberti for a series of Darwin-themed readings.

[12] Kevin Spacey (Henry Drummond) and David Troughton (Matthew Harrison Brady) starred in a 2009 revival at The Old Vic in London.

[14] In November 2023, a revival directed by Michael Michetti ran at the Pasadena Playhouse starring Alfred Molina (Drummond), John Douglas Thompson (Brady) and Chris Perfetti (Hornbeck).