Wilkinson Public Library: “Clarence Darrow, A One-Man Play”

14 Jul Wilkinson Public Library: “Clarence Darrow, A One-Man Play”

Two performances, Wilkinson Public Library, Tuesday, July 16, 7 p.m. and Christ Church, Thursday, July 18, 4 p.m. in the gardens

On Tuesday, July 16, 7 p.m., at the Wilkinson Public Library, you can spend two hours with Clarence Darrow – at least the spirit of the man.  Through actor John Robinson, you get to listen to the stories of his long life as a lawyer in Chicago, including his lifelong battles for social justice for – in his  own words – “the poor, the weak, and the weary.”

“Clarence Darrow was born in 1857 and packed a lot of life into 80 long years,” explains Robinson. “I don’t think he slept much. He made a good deal of money but often invested poorly. He cheated on both of his wives. There weren’t many books he hadn’t read. He spent the first 20 years in Chicago up to his ears in the chaotic politics of that big city.”

But it was what he did not know about Darrow that compelled the actor to bring him back to life.

“I knew about the Scopes trial and his defense of Leopold and Loeb, but Darrow’s unwavering belief that the United States Constitution should work for every citizen in America  no matter rich or poor, no matter what race or political stripe—was extraordinary.  Clarence Darrow really was a champion of the people. Was he as ‘anti-religious’ as he liked to claim? I think his entire life is a walking testimony to the heart of social justice.”

From the Haymarket anarchists to Eugene V. Debs and the Pullman Strike, from the coal mines of Pennsylvania to union warfare in the West, to the Los Angeles Times bombing trial and the McNamara brothers, to political rebels, black men and women facing all-white juries, to a high-school  biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee charged with teaching the theory of evolution, and, finally, to the strange case of Leopold and Loeb, Clarence Darrow was passionate, philosophical, proud, funny, and prophetic.

Other actors who have portrayed Clarence Darrow on stage and screen include Kevin Spacey, Spencer Tracy, and Henry Fonda.

Johnson is clearly in good company.

The one-man play, “Clarence Darrow” by David Rintels is based on the Irving Stone biography, “Clarence Darrow for the Defense.”

Admission to this program is free. Special thanks  is owed Scott Doser for this and all the library’s wonderful adult programs.