PicksInSix Review: Inherit the Wind - Goodman Theatre

“THE RIGHT TO THINK ON TRIAL”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The image has all the makings of a Norman Rockwell painting.

The citizens of rural Hillsboro, clustered four-deep in the steamy courthouse, leaning in and transfixed by the sudden turn of events at the trial of Bertram Cates (Christopher Llewyn Ramirez), accused of teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in his 2nd grade classroom. Leading Cates’s defense is Henry Drummond (Harry Lennix) who is grilling the prosecuting attorney—and his old friend—Matthew Harrison Brady (Alexander Gemignani) on the witness stand about philosophy and scriptures after the judge (Kevin Gudhal) has refused to allow any men or women of science to testify for the defense.

The fiery courtroom interchange between the two men leads to the scintillating climax of the Goodman Theatre’s superb revival of “Inherit the Wind” directed by Henry Godinez that opened Monday. The 1955 play, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is a fictionalized account of the 1925 Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee that challenged the Butler Act outlawing the teaching of evolution in the classroom. Indeed, the injustice of suppressing alternate opinions and attempting to eliminate the free exchange of ideas flows throughout the play which explains its universal appeal on stage and in the memorable 1960 film starring Spencer Tracy and Frederic March.

For context, the title refers to Proverbs 11:29: “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: And the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.” Exemplified in the overbearing nature of Reverend Jermiah Brown (Ryan Kitley) toward his daughter Rachel (Tyler), who is torn between the love she feels for Cates and her strict religious upbringing, and in the exchanges between Drummond and Brady, “Inherit the Wind” lays bare the differences in the individual beliefs of our existence. Perhaps the most salient point belongs to Drummond, who says: “The man who has everything figured out is probably a fool. College examinations notwithstanding, it takes a very smart fella to say ‘I don’t know the answer!’”

Director Godinez has assembled a stellar cast and creative team around the central characters involved in the trial. Lennix is commanding as Drummond, his folksy charm every bit a match for Gemignani’s swaggering fire and brimstone. Together they are simply terrific to watch. In supporting roles, Lawrence Grimm has a slick featured role as the radio man and among the townspeople in the fine ensemble that includes William Dick (Mayor), Terry Bell (Sillers), Charin Álvarez (Mrs. Brady) and Meighan Gerachis (Elijah). On the fringe of the proceedings is E.K.Hornbeck (Mi Kang), the cynical reporter who is covering the trial. The real life father/daughter team of Christopher Kale Jones as the trial attorney Tom Davenport and  Melinda (Presley Rose Jones) who is the friend of Thomas Murphy Molony’s Howard and Robert Schleifer (Meeker) all deserve special mention.

There is a down-home, natural and overall timeless vision on the creative side of the show that is first-rate. Collette Pollard’s elegant scenic design includes a stunning vista of the Hillsboro skyline above the stage, ever present within a shimmering skylight that mirrors the raked stage surface that serves as both the townsquare and the courtroom. Jessica Pabst’s costume design fits the period nature of the piece perfectly along with Jason Lynch’s crisp lighting and the subtle but effective original music and sound design by Richard Woodbury. While the sense is that the action is occurring at another place and time, this thought-provoking piece reflects the here and now, or for that matter, any instance when the threat to free speech and our personal liberties is so great that we must take an active stand and always seek the truth.  

(Note: An earlier version omitted Robert Schleifer..)      
PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Goodman Theatre
presents
Inherit the Wind
EXTENDED through October 20

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PicksInSix Review: Guys and Dolls - Drury Lane Theatre

Shake the Dice. Save a Soul!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Looking for the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York with tough guys packing heat and cracking wise while a couple of old-time love stories unwind in locales as exotic as Havanna and the Hot Box Club? If so, then, the rock’em sock’em revival of the 1950 Tony Award winning “Guys and Dolls” now playing at Drury Lane Oakbrook is the show for you.  

Director/choreographer Dan Knechtges with co-music directors Roberta Duchak and Chris Sargent, who also conducts, have assembled an impressive ensemble of multi-talented performers for a highly-charged production showcasing the most cherished music and lyrics of Broadway’s legendary songsmith Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows based on Daymon Runyon’s stories and characters. The cavalcade of Loesser hits like the touching ballads “I’ll Know” and “More I Cannot Wish You,” the superb bigtime, song and dance spectacles “A Bushel and a Peck,” “Luck be a Lady,” and “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” make Drury Lane’s “Guys and Dolls” a musical extravaganza that pokes good-natured fun of the rough and tough guys and the glitzy glamor dolls from Runyon’s creative imagination.

As the story unfolds, the lovable huckster Nathan Detroit (Jackson Evans) has been unofficially engaged for 14 years to the vivacious Miss Adelaide (Alanna Lovely), headliner at the Hot Box Club. Adelaide is trying to get him to stop gambling and settle down to the life she has imagined all along. Meanwhile, Detroit and his ‘associates” Nicely-Nicely (Nkrumah Gatling) and Benny (Christopher Llewyn Ramirez) are trying to get a spot for some nightly action and stay a step or two ahead of the law in the process.

Against the backdrop of petty larceny and bawdy late night revelry, the dutiful missionary Sarah Brown (Erica Stephan), struggling to make a difference one sinner at a time at the Save-A-Soul Mission, falls hard and fast for the suave, high-stakes charmer Sky Masterson (Pepe Nufrio). When the love table turns on Sky, he finds himself suddenly searching for any way to win her back again including making good on his mark to fill up the evening prayer meeting to impress the zany General Cartwright (Heidi Kettenring) and save the mission from closing.

Drury Lane Theatre presents “Guys and Dolls” through June 9, 2024. More information and tickets HERE.

Stephan and Nufrio are perfect together. Their rich vocals and chemistry shine in the heartfelt Act I closer “My Time of Day/I’ve Never Been in Love Before.” Stephan, one of Chicago’s top performers, is simply marvelous. Nufrio’s smooth and effortless Sky is spot on in “My Time of Day,” and with the brilliant ensemble in “Luck Be a Lady.” Lovely sparkles as Adelaide, displaying excellent comedic chops in “Adelaide’s Lament” and singing, dancing and leading the Hot Box Girls in a sizzling version of “Take Back Your Mink” while chumming up with Evans’s hilarious and heartwarming Nathan for lots of laughs and their touching duet “Sue Me.”

Back at the mission, Gene Weygandt’s serves up a splendid Arvide Abernathy, Kettenring is a riot and everybody gets in the act when Gatling explodes into the rousing crowd favorite “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat.” Angela Weber Miller’s scenic design, framed in a glistening Broadway skyline, alternates seamlessly between the relatively solemn confines of the mission to the gritty underbelly of the city and the sultry Hot Box Club where Leon Dobkowski’s stunning costumes set the place on fire. All in, Drury Lane’s “Guys and Dolls” is a night filled of 7’s and 11’s for every high stakes roller in the audience.  

PHOTO|Brett Beiner

Drury Lane Theatre
presents
Guys and Dolls
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace
through June 9, 2024

WEBSITE

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

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