Wind will blow you away
Monkey business at the BTG
by Christopher Key
Inherit the Wind authors Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee freely admitted that their 1955 play based on the “Monkey Trial” was as much a reflection of the prevalent McCarthyism of the times as it was a historical document. Based on the 1925 trial of a Tennessee teacher who dared instruct his students about the theory of evolution, it is as pertinent today as it was then.
Witness the current efforts by the Texas Board of Education to eliminate any mention of evolution from textbooks and replace it with what is now called “intelligent design.” Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose.
First time BTG director John Gonzales has been honing his skills at the well-regarded Whatcom Community College theatrical program and does a masterful job of bringing this American classic to the stage. Like all good directors, he understands the secret of making good casting choices and giving talented actors the room to be creative.
Chief among those is Bob Simmons, an incredibly energetic and charismatic 80-year-young who plays defense attorney Henry Drummond. I’m told that Simmons has never acted onstage before and you’ll find that hard to believe. He has a background in television and an acting career that, if there is any justice, should last another 40 or 50 years. He is simply brilliant.
Bob Simmons and Robert Muzzy face off as opposing attorneys in the Bellingham Theatre Guild production of Inherit the Wind. Photo credit - David Cohn
Robert Muzzy plays Matthew Harrison Brady, a character based on the legendary populist politician William Jennings Bryan. I have seen a lot of Muzzy’s performances over the years and this is the best thing he’s ever done, hands down. He perfectly evokes any number of the Holy Joe politicians that currently befoul our national discourse.
The teacher at the center of the trial is played with enormous sensitivity by Brian Watson. This role is shared with Bjorn Whitney, so pay attention to the house manager’s announcements as to who will be playing the role at the performance you attend. His fiancée, who belongs to that accursed race known as preacher’s kids, is played by Angela Mills, another BTG newcomer who gives a passionate performance.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Michael Gill onstage at the BTG. He gives an inspired performance as a reporter who gives credence to Oscar Wilde’s definition of a cynic: “A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Eddie Lester gets off to a bit of a slow start as Reverend Brown, but kicks it into high gear once he starts preaching at a prayer meeting. The costuming is a bit incongruous since he is wearing a clerical collar, denoting either a Roman Catholic or an Episcopalian, neither of which would be caught dead in this role. Even in Tennessee in 1925.
The poor judge, caught up in a trial he’d rather avoid, is played by the ubiquitous Sandy Brewer with perfect bumfuzzlement. Jim Beckwith is wonderfully sleazy as the mayor of Hillsboro, whose lips will fasten onto any behind that will further his career.
The supporting cast is flawless and should all be mentioned if I had the time and space. Again, Gonzales made good choices.
Nick McDonald’s set is deceptively simple, but works perfectly without being obtrusive. Since I described one of his lighting designs as devastating, I will not further inflate his ego and simply say that this one is reasonably well done.
Inherit the Wind plays April 9 -25 at the Bellingham Theatre Guild, 1600 H Street. Thursday – Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors (62+) and students, $7 for children under 12. Call the box office at 733-1811 for reservations. For more info: www.bellinghamtheatreguild.com.
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