A classic work of American theatre, based on the Scopes Monkey Trial
of 1925, which pitted Clarence Darrow against William Jennings Bryan in
defense of a schoolteacher accused of teaching the theory of evolution
The accused was a slight, frightened man who had deliberately broken the
law. His trial was a Roman circus. The chief gladiators were two great
legal giants of the century. Like two bull elephants locked in mortal
combat, they bellowed and roared imprecations and abuse. The spectators
sat uneasily in the sweltering heat with murder in their hearts, barely
able to restrain themselves. At stake was the freedom of every American.
One of the most moving and meaningful plays of our generation.
Praise for Inherit the Wind
"A tidal wave of a drama."--New York World-Telegram And Sun
"Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee were classic Broadway scribes who
knew how to crank out serious plays for thinking Americans. . . .
Inherit the Wind is a perpetually prescient courtroom battle over the
legality of teaching evolution. . . . We're still arguing this case-all
the way to the White House."--Chicago Tribune
"Powerful . . . a crackling good courtroom play . . . [that] provides
two of the juiciest roles in American theater."--Copley News
Service
"[This] historical drama . . . deserves respect."--The Columbus
Dispatch