INHERIT THE WIND
I recently saw the play with music, Inherit The Wind, at the Asolo/ U of South Fl theatre. It was fantastic. I want to share why I think it is still relevant. First some background. It is a play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee that opened on Broadway in 1955.It was based on the Scopes monkey trial in Tennessee in 1925. Tenn. had passed a law preventing the teaching of evolution to high school students. The ACLU wanted to challenge the law in court and arranged for a teacher to confess to teaching evolution. The trial lawyers were 2 of the most famous attorneys in the nation. William Jennings Bryant, who ran for and lost the Presidency three times and Clarence Darrow. Lawrence and Lee had something more in mind than Biblical creation versus Darwin’s theories of evolution. They were responding to the McCarthy attacks on artists because of their alleged communists’ views. The play attacks the idea of disavowing critical thinking. The authors wanted us to question why children or anyone could not be exposed to many, diverse ideas and then use their own minds and power to think to determine the truth for them. They also wanted us to consider that rural America with its’ rigid views was passing away with the increase of urban living. They expressed that more open views were a healthier way of life. The play has caught the imagination of so many as it has been made into motion pictures four times and the starring roles have been played by every important actor of the 20th century.
Now, in 2023, it is being staged in Florida. In my opinion, its’ relevance is even more important, especially in FL. Laws passed in Florida prevent the teaching of sexual and other topics to students in state schools. An even more restrictive law is being considered that would limit social media to people over the age of 18. Like the people in Tenn. in 1925, the legislature in Florida does not believe students can think for themselves. They want to prevent them from receiving information about various topics, including LBGTQA related topics in a school. And they also want to keep them from using social media. The censorship is scary. The magnificent play Inherit the Wind shows the stark contrast between forcing people to accept what some group wants them to accept versus allowing children and all people to hear and read various points of view and using critical thinking to come to their own decisions. I applaud Asolo Rep for their production and doing it at a time when Floridians need a reminder of what a fascist state really looks like.
