Crosstown Play Evokes Thought

Reese Sheldahl reads a a manuscript. By Alyssa Tompkins

On Thursday, November 8th, students, teachers, and parents joined together to watch the opening night of the crosstown production, Inherit The Wind. Sitting in the audience forced me to think about what I believe and why I believe it.

The plot line of evolution v. traditionalism was carried throughout the play in a smooth, but still gritty manner. The actors spat out lines at each other with so much passion it was hard to pick who you believed to be correct. I couldn’t help but imagine the actors practicing lines in their bathroom mirror, trying not to spit too much with each aggressive line.

The courthouse battle was the highlight of the play. I have to admit that my favorite line caused me to zone out momentarily into my own head. Henry Drummond, played by Chris Duffy (HHS), said “Then why did God plague us with the capacity to think?” No one ever thinks about why they are given the capacity to think, and yet, there it is. We have our own unique thought processes, so why not use them? This line forced me to ask myself whether thinking is a plague or not. This is a question I cannot answer, but is for sure one I remembered as I left the auditorium that evening.

Matthew Harrison Brady, played by CHS Senior Seth Lang, did not answer the question for me either, but the character did a convincing job of struggling with it through the rest of the scene. The audience was surprised when Brady sputtered out short and choppy words before collapsing on the ground, dead. r Earlier in the play, Lang had played a hard line, arguing for the traditionalist interpretation of the Bible and was backed up by the citizens of the town, so his dramatic death matched the intensity of his character.

CHS Junior Reese Sheldahl nailed the part of E.K. Hornbeck, the journalist covering the historic trial. Hel, cracked a wonderfully chilling smile and made jokes about the death of Brady. Sheldahl perfectly portrayed his character’s intentions to prey on the current events, then draft articles about others’ misfortune on the path to fame. His smile conveyed to the audience exactly his cruel intentions.

The sets were pretty elaborate and on wheels which made transitions seamless. The costuming was fit to the time period well and looked nice on the stage itself. The lighting had some quick second pauses, but always covered well and lit up the stage in the appropriate pale or harsh light.

The play Inherit the Wind was worth the watch. I enjoyed the play in its entirety and applaud all the cast and crew.