Thank you, Leslie Nielsen
A Passion for Justice: An Encounter with Clarence Darrow was written in a panic, out of spite.
As artistic director and co-founder of Arlington’s American Century Theater, I had chosen David Rintels’ Clarence Darrow one - man show, originally a Broadway vehicle for Henry Fonda, as part of the company’s 1999-2000 season for three reasons: I am a lawyer, and Darrow is one of my favorite American characters; the show fit the company’s mission of producing seldom-seen 20th Century American plays; and most importantly, Paul Morella wanted to do it. Paul comes from a family of lawyers, and is an actor of unusual intelligence and range. I was looking forward to seeing him play America’s most complex attorney.
It was approaching Thanksgiving of 1999, and Paul was already in rehearsals when I received a phone call. Actor Leslie Nielsen, seeking a break from the Airplane! - style comedies that had given him a second career, had purchased exclusive rights to the Rintels play in preparation for a national tour. Our license to produce the play had been cancelled. Informed that the Nielsen team could grant TACT a waiver, I called the producer. I begged, I pleaded. We were a small company, and there wasn’t even certainty that the show would reach Washington (and in fact, it never did). This would threaten the existence of the company. She didn’t care. The ban stood.
As I sat in my office fuming after hanging up the phone, my eyes fell on a book I had been reading as preparation for the Darrow show: The People v. Clarence Darrow, by historian Geoffrey Cowan. Cowan’s portrait of Darrow included new material that was at odds with the heroic portrait created by the Rintels play, focusing on his often despicable personal behavior and his nearly forgotten trial for jury tampering in 1912, an episode which nearly ended his career in disgrace. I also thought about how disappointed Paul was that the play we had been rehearsing included only short sections from Darrow’s courtroom speeches, subverting their true brilliance and power. I called Paul up, gave him the bad news, and made a proposal.
“I think I can write another Darrow play, using associated biographical sources, the Cowan book, and Darrow’s own speeches and writings. The show will be mostly Darrow’s words, and the Darrow you play will be a lot less heroic than what audiences expect. He’ll also be more accurate, human, and interesting. It will mean literally learning the play as I write it. Are you game?”
Paul was game. I spent the entire holidays reading Darrow around the clock, cutting, pasting, experimenting, getting Paul’s feedback, and writing some more. As much as anything else, I was motivated by the desire to show Leslie Nielsen and company that this was one small theater company that wouldn’t be intimidated.
The play we finally opened in January was called I Cry Aloud: The Clarence Darrow Story. It had two acts, with sound effects, a complex lighting design, and an attractive set that included a life-size gallows. Terry Kester directed the production. Most of the reviews were excellent and the show had a successful run.Paul, however, had not had his fill of Clarence Darrow. He sent me a shortened and tightened version of the play, more than 30 minutes shorter, that could be performed with minimal set and few technical needs. Paul thought it would be popular with law schools, colleges, groups and bar organizations. I was enthusiastic about the streamlined version, and on several occasions participated in academic programs that included it. Each time he performed the play, Paul’s portrayal of Darrow became deeper and more revealing.
There was an unexpected benefit for me professionally. Ed Larson, a best-selling historian whose book about the Scopes trial had won him a Pulitzer prize, saw a performance and approached me about collaborating with him on a Modern Library collection of Darrow’s best writings and oratory. “If you wrote that play, you must have done a lot of research already,” he suggested. He was right about that. The book, The Essential Words and Writings of Clarence Darrow, was published in 2007.
Now, once again, Paul is getting the chance to breathe life into Clarence Darrow. Thank you, Leslie Nielsen.
- Jack Marshall
As artistic director and co-founder of Arlington’s American Century Theater, I had chosen David Rintels’ Clarence Darrow one - man show, originally a Broadway vehicle for Henry Fonda, as part of the company’s 1999-2000 season for three reasons: I am a lawyer, and Darrow is one of my favorite American characters; the show fit the company’s mission of producing seldom-seen 20th Century American plays; and most importantly, Paul Morella wanted to do it. Paul comes from a family of lawyers, and is an actor of unusual intelligence and range. I was looking forward to seeing him play America’s most complex attorney.
It was approaching Thanksgiving of 1999, and Paul was already in rehearsals when I received a phone call. Actor Leslie Nielsen, seeking a break from the Airplane! - style comedies that had given him a second career, had purchased exclusive rights to the Rintels play in preparation for a national tour. Our license to produce the play had been cancelled. Informed that the Nielsen team could grant TACT a waiver, I called the producer. I begged, I pleaded. We were a small company, and there wasn’t even certainty that the show would reach Washington (and in fact, it never did). This would threaten the existence of the company. She didn’t care. The ban stood.
As I sat in my office fuming after hanging up the phone, my eyes fell on a book I had been reading as preparation for the Darrow show: The People v. Clarence Darrow, by historian Geoffrey Cowan. Cowan’s portrait of Darrow included new material that was at odds with the heroic portrait created by the Rintels play, focusing on his often despicable personal behavior and his nearly forgotten trial for jury tampering in 1912, an episode which nearly ended his career in disgrace. I also thought about how disappointed Paul was that the play we had been rehearsing included only short sections from Darrow’s courtroom speeches, subverting their true brilliance and power. I called Paul up, gave him the bad news, and made a proposal.
“I think I can write another Darrow play, using associated biographical sources, the Cowan book, and Darrow’s own speeches and writings. The show will be mostly Darrow’s words, and the Darrow you play will be a lot less heroic than what audiences expect. He’ll also be more accurate, human, and interesting. It will mean literally learning the play as I write it. Are you game?”
Paul was game. I spent the entire holidays reading Darrow around the clock, cutting, pasting, experimenting, getting Paul’s feedback, and writing some more. As much as anything else, I was motivated by the desire to show Leslie Nielsen and company that this was one small theater company that wouldn’t be intimidated.
The play we finally opened in January was called I Cry Aloud: The Clarence Darrow Story. It had two acts, with sound effects, a complex lighting design, and an attractive set that included a life-size gallows. Terry Kester directed the production. Most of the reviews were excellent and the show had a successful run.Paul, however, had not had his fill of Clarence Darrow. He sent me a shortened and tightened version of the play, more than 30 minutes shorter, that could be performed with minimal set and few technical needs. Paul thought it would be popular with law schools, colleges, groups and bar organizations. I was enthusiastic about the streamlined version, and on several occasions participated in academic programs that included it. Each time he performed the play, Paul’s portrayal of Darrow became deeper and more revealing.
There was an unexpected benefit for me professionally. Ed Larson, a best-selling historian whose book about the Scopes trial had won him a Pulitzer prize, saw a performance and approached me about collaborating with him on a Modern Library collection of Darrow’s best writings and oratory. “If you wrote that play, you must have done a lot of research already,” he suggested. He was right about that. The book, The Essential Words and Writings of Clarence Darrow, was published in 2007.
Now, once again, Paul is getting the chance to breathe life into Clarence Darrow. Thank you, Leslie Nielsen.
- Jack Marshall