[NEohioPAL]Beacon Journal Raves over Clarence Darrow at Actors' Summit
Thackaberr at aol.com
Thackaberr at aol.com
Mon Nov 7 08:18:35 PST 2005
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Show brings lawyer of Scopes trial to life
One-man play at Actors' Summit vibrant history lesson
By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer
You learn something every day.
Until seeing the one-man play Clarence Darrow at Actors' Summit, I wasn't
aware that the legendary trial lawyer was an Ashtabula, Ohio, native. The play,
featuring the accomplished Neil Thackaberry, illuminates plenty of
interesting background and career highlights about the man best known for his defense
work in the 1925 Scopes monkey trial.
Based on the book Clarence Darrow for the Defense by Irving Stone, this
piece delves a bit into the lawyer's personal life. But the re-enactments of key
moments from Darrow's most famous cases carry the most drama.
Darrow, champion of the underdog, was impassioned about fighting ignorance,
intolerance and hatred. He defended labor early in his five-decade career,
and later devoted himself to fighting the death penalty.
The play's conversational style as well as Thackaberry's sheer skill and
striking demeanor in creating this intimate story make for an engrossing
experience. We're drawn in from the folksy details of the lawyer's first, $1
contract for a horse sale to the ugly details of a race-hatred case late in his
career.
Darrow was a small-town, Ohio boy destined for great things. His formative
years were spent with free-thinking, intellectual parents. His dad was an
active participant in the Underground Railroad.
The attorney, known as the greatest criminal defense attorney in American
history, had only one year of college and one year of law school. He took on
unpopular cases that gripped the national conscience, defending everyone from
two teen-age thrill killers to the MacNamara Brothers, who bombed the Los
Angeles Times building in a labor dispute.
Through Thackaberry, this play becomes an engaging history lesson. Director
Alex Cikra evokes an emotional range from the actor that's captivating, from
the agnostic Darrow's quiet musings about mortality to his rantings about
injustice, where Thackaberry assumes a severe face and glinting eyes.
Darrow, who spent most of his practice working in Chicago, lost only one
murder case there among more than 100 cases. Not one of his murder defendants
was hanged.
He never fit into the Chicago establishment, and never cared to. This is the
guy who bought and had his first suit fitted from the Ashtabula Hardware and
Emporium.
Clarence Darrow delves more deeply into Darrow's other landmark cases than
it does the Scopes trial, known as one of the most important cases in U.S.
history. Even after this evolution vs. creation case, Darrow said he never found
religion.
The play has its share of folksy humor, with Thackaberry delivering lines
such as this with perfect timing and zest: ``I have never killed a man. But I
have read a number of obituaries with considerable pleasure.''
Thackaberry also shines with another comedic bit about how Darrow selected a
jury based on its religious preferences.
Some of Darrow's most memorable lines from the play include:
-- ``Conspiracy... has been the weapon of every tyrant.''
-- ``History repeats itself. That's one of the things wrong with history.''
-- ``There's no such thing as justice, in or out of the courtroom.''
It only takes one fine actor to create human drama. That's part of the power
of live theater: It makes history come alive.
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<H1 style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 4.35pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FON=
T size=3D4>Show brings lawyer of Scopes trial to life<o:p></o:p></FONT></S=
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<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZ=
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D=3D"MA1.1131380313" ><BR></FONT><FONT color=3D#666666><SPAN class=3Ddec=
k1><B>One-man play at Actors' Summit vibrant history=20
lesson</B></SPAN><BR><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.MA2.1131380313 at aol.com" height=3D10=20=
width=3D1 v:shapes=3D"_x0000_i1026" DATASIZE=3D"73" ID=3D"MA2.1131380313"=20=
><BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=3Dbyline1><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 7pt;=
FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT color=3D#666666>By Kerry Clawson</FONT></SPAN><=
/B></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><FONT col=
or=3D#666666><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.MA3.1131380313 at aol.com" height=3D1 width=
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></FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=3Dcreditline1><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 7pt;=
FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT color=3D#666666>Beacon Journal=20
staff writer</FONT></SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-F=
AMILY: Arial"><BR><FONT color=3D#666666><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.MA4.1131380313 at aol=
.com" height=3D1 width=3D1 v:shapes=3D"_x0000_i1028" DATASIZE=3D"129" ID=
=3D"MA4.1131380313" ><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">You=
learn=20
something every day.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Unt=
il=20
seeing the one-man play Clarence Darrow at Actors' Summit, I wasn't aware th=
at=20
the legendary trial lawyer was an Ashtabula, Ohio, native. The play, featuri=
ng=20
the accomplished Neil Thackaberry, illuminates plenty of interesting backgro=
und=20
and career highlights about the man best known for his defense work in the 1=
925=20
Scopes monkey trial.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Bas=
ed on=20
the book <I>Clarence Darrow for the Defense </I>by Irving Stone, this piece=20
delves a bit into the lawyer's personal life. But the re-enactments of key=20
moments from Darrow's most famous cases carry the most=20
drama.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dar=
row,=20
champion of the underdog, was impassioned about fighting ignorance, intolera=
nce=20
and hatred. He defended labor early in his five-decade career, and later dev=
oted=20
himself to fighting the death penalty.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The=
=20
play's conversational style as well as Thackaberry's sheer skill and strikin=
g=20
demeanor in creating this intimate story make for an engrossing experience.=20
We're drawn in from the folksy details of the lawyer's first, $1 contract fo=
r a=20
horse sale to the ugly details of a race-hatred case late in his=20
career.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dar=
row=20
was a small-town, Ohio boy destined for great things. His formative years we=
re=20
spent with free-thinking, intellectual parents. His dad was an active=20
participant in the Underground Railroad.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The=
=20
attorney, known as the greatest criminal defense attorney in American histor=
y,=20
had only one year of college and one year of law school. He took on unpopula=
r=20
cases that gripped the national conscience, defending everyone from two teen=
-age=20
thrill killers to the MacNamara Brothers, who bombed the Los Angeles Times=20
building in a labor dispute.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Thr=
ough=20
Thackaberry, this play becomes an engaging history lesson. Director Alex Cik=
ra=20
evokes an emotional range from the actor that's captivating, from the agnost=
ic=20
Darrow's quiet musings about mortality to his rantings about injustice, wher=
e=20
Thackaberry assumes a severe face and glinting eyes.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dar=
row,=20
who spent most of his practice working in Chicago, lost only one murder case=
=20
there among more than 100 cases. Not one of his murder defendants was=20
hanged.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">He=20=
never=20
fit into the Chicago establishment, and never cared to. This is the guy who=20
bought and had his first suit fitted from the Ashtabula Hardware and=20
Emporium.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Cla=
rence=20
Darrow delves more deeply into Darrow's other landmark cases than it does th=
e=20
Scopes trial, known as one of the most important cases in U.S. history. Even=
=20
after this evolution vs. creation case, Darrow said he never found=20
religion.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The=
play=20
has its share of folksy humor, with Thackaberry delivering lines such as thi=
s=20
with perfect timing and zest: ``I have never killed a man. But I have read a=
=20
number of obituaries with considerable pleasure.''<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">T=
hackaberry also=20
shines with another comedic bit about how Darrow selected a jury based on it=
s=20
religious preferences.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Som=
e of=20
Darrow's most memorable lines from the play include:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">--=20
``Conspiracy... has been the weapon of every tyrant.''<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">--=20
``History repeats itself. That's one of the things wrong with=20
history.''<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">--=20
``There's no such thing as justice, in or out of the=20
courtroom.''<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It=20=
only=20
takes one fine actor to create human drama. That's part of the power of live=
=20
theater: It makes history come alive.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=3D"Times=20=
New Roman" size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></P></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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