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Disinherit The Wind
Reviewed by Vanessa Cate
Ruby Theatre at The Complex
Through Nov. 29
“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise heart,” is from Proverbs 11:29, and is the quotation that inspired the title for the ground-breaking play Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play debuted in 1955 and dealt with fictional trial concerning teaching the theory of evolution in school.
Disinherit The Wind is a new take on a similar premise by Matt Chait (who also stars and co-directed the production with Caitlin Rucker). The play borrows a lot from its inspirational predecessor, including the names of many of the characters – protagonists of both plays are named Bertram Cates. Is it supposed to be the same character grown up and facing a similar trial? I don’t think so as there is not really any mention of anything that would support that theory, and there are other characters with the same or similar names as well. I must conclude then that this play attempts to turn the original on its head, and should actually be called Disinherit Inherit the Wind.
Pardon me as what follows is a dissection, but when dealing with a show that is more science than art, it is perhaps appropriate.
The first scene is a 15- minute lecture on DNA, which I didn’t really follow even though I took notes. (Admittedly, I failed science in high school and never took it again.) Bertram Cates (Matt Chait) however is clearly in awe of the subject, and does impart an inescapable fascination bordering on mysticism.
The rest of Act 1 proceeds from there. We meet an unlikely young couple – the loyal Howard Blair (Erik Daniels), the graduate student who will be testifying for Cates in the trial, and Melinda Brown (Amanda Payton) who despite being the daughter of the head of the science department at the University of California, and being in a serious relationship with the aforementioned Blair, is completely unfamiliar with simple scientific ideas and is dressed like she’s “DTF”. (To Amanda Payton’s credit, she brought a level of credibility and charm to an otherwise poor character).
The trial begins – a trial in which Professor Cates is attempting to be re-instated as a member of the faculty after being let go when it was discovered he was writing a blog under the pseudonym “Miss Tickle” about possibly spiritual aspects of evolutionism.
On the defense are Brady (Ken Stirbl) and Dr. Jared Brown (G. Smokey Campbell) upholding the dogmatism that apparently goes with university teaching. Presiding over the trial is a Judge (Christina Hart) who while seeming to be fair and stern, quickly lets the trial, ahem, evolve from whether or not Cates should be re-hired to the nature of Darwinism itself, and whether his spiritual take on it is legitimate and should be accepted.
The implausibility of the set up does however lead to Act 2, which is really where the play picks up. The defense brings in its expert witness, Dr. Robert Hawkins (Circus-Szalewski), an arrogant British scientist clearly inspired by Richard Dawkins.
While Act Two is basically a debate between Cates and Hawkins, Chait lets his passion for the material shine and Circus-Szalewski steals the show with a deliciousness that made me hungry for every arrogant quip and response he might provide.
This show, structurally, has many problems, and outside of the big debate between two strong passionate personalities, seems at times collegiate. However, one must commend Matt Chait for writing something so clearly close to his heart that is so well defined and supported and in such a way that it even made me want to learn more, both about science and spirituality. So while as a playwright there is a lot of room for growth (and the play itself could have been massively cut down from the two hour and 40-minute run time), Chait’s knowledge and awe in both scientific and spiritual material, clearly exhibited by Cates, is refreshing.
Ruby Theatre at The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Fri.- Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Nov. 29. (323) 960-4420; www.plays411.com/disinherit; Running time approximately 2 hours 40 minutes with one 10-minute intermission.
