INHERIT THE WIND

By Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

Directed by Roy Tabor

The Maskers presented Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence, directed by Roy Tabor at the Nuffeld Theatre, Southampton from Wednesday 11th to Saturday 14th April 1973.

From The Southampton Evening Echo.

A small town’s bigotry on trial.

The Maskers are presenting Jerome Lawrence’s “Inherit the Wind” at the Nuffield theatre this week. The play is based on the Scopes “monkey” trial in Tennessee in 1925. The director, Roy Tabor has kept the production in America of the twenties with light American accents. Too often in such productions, the accent intrudes and irritates. The accent here never intrudes. The unusual use of the forestage, which is almost at floor level, for the court room scenes – with the town scenes on a permanent set on the main stage works well. The lighting is subdued, deepening the effect of the oppressive, omnipresent small-town atmosphere.

David Pike is Drummond the defending lawyer – the agnostic, who proves to have more faith than his opponent. It is a quiet, thoughtful performance, made up with many tiny touches from the odd movement like plunging his hands in his pockets, scratching his nose, culminating in a superb exit.

His vanquished foe, blind, opinionated ignorance is represented by Brady, a lawyer who has thrice been runner-up to the presidency – played by Ken Spencer. Graham Buchanan has a gift of a part as the cynical, wisecracking Baltimore journalist (“Hillsborough is the buckle on the Bible belt.”) But that does not detract from his wry performance which could so easily have been overdone.

Sheana Carrington – as always – is good value as the bible-thumping preacher’s daughter, Rachael, in whom the whole conflict is crystalised.

I liked Peter Syvret as the judge, young Stephen Murray as the schoolboy Howard on the witness stand and Geoff Wharam as the stoical Meeker.

An excellent play, well worth a visit, it runs to the end of the week.

Jasmine Profit.

CAST

For The Maskers