Inherit The Wind, a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Lyceum Theatre; starring Christopher Plummer, Brian Dennehy and Denis O'Hare.
It had not been my intention to see this revival of "Inherit the Wind." My wife and I had deliberately decided to pass on it, we were seeing so many other things in this superb Broadway season and, ten years ago, we had seen an estimable revival with George C. Scott and Charles Durning. Even with those two, the play had seemed dated, creaky, and the subject matter didn't seem particularly relevant anymore. But our daughter, a rising Junior at NYU, who is a biology student, asked me to take her to it, and so I went to the halfprice booth yesterday for a Wednesday matinee and obtained two excellent tickets.
Well, was I ever glad, because there is a master class in acting taking place at the Lyceum Theatre and the two old pros, and a young one, who are delivering it are at the top of their game. In their hands, and due in no small part to George W. Bush and the rise of the Creationists, "Inherit The Wind" is hardly passe these days. The play crackled with energy. The production is splendid, no cheap corners cut at the Lyceum, this is as lavish a production as one hopes to see. As a revival, I'd rank it right up there with "Journey's End." There is even a first rate bluegrass group to entertain us in the pre show and intermission.
If one goes to the theater enough times, very occasionally a magic moment occurs. In Frost/Nixon, it was when Langella-Nixon stares into the camera and reveals himself at last to the audience and more importantly to himself. Pure magic. In "Inherit the Wind" this same magic is vouchsafed us when Christopher Plummer as Henry Drummond and Brian Dennehy as Matthew Harrison Brady, sit down at the end of the first act to reminisce. What a moment! Another great moment was when Brian Dennehy spoke the words that are the title of the play. Some critics complained about Dennehy's subdued performance, but I found it note perfect - he plays a weary politician who has been to one too many a tent, one too many a rally, had one too many a barbecue, and was at the end of the line, his last battle. There are giants walking on Broadway these days. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade A.