Clarence Darrow

by David W. Rintels

A one-man play in two acts based on Clarence Darrow for the Defense by Irving Stone is a reminiscences of the unpopular cases in which the famous attorney was involved, the events of his personal life, and his opinions about contemporary events.

Genres: Drama, Plays

69 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Various times and places in Darrow’s life
Genre: Drama Length: 2 Act; 60 pg. Cast Size: 1m
Basis: Clarence Darrow for the Defense (Irving Stone) Adaptations: ---
Productions: Broadway (Mar. ’74 – Apr. ’74), Queens (June ’17)
Accolades: ---

Background
- Prior to Spacey’s production, couldn’t believe I never knew this existed – right up my alley
- After seeing/before reading, remember wishing some moments had more detail but only so much you can do
- Wanted to read this right away after seeing – subject matter I love, wanted to be exposed to more one-man shows, and just love reading plays

Writing
Positive
- Good format and structure: mix of direct to audience narration, trial, conversations in marriage, etc.
- Good question and response to silent answers (courtroom examination perfect for that)
- Love how he talks to the audience as if they are the jury, good symbolism there
- Though on paper not most exciting story, plenty of opportunity for actor to get into and bring it to life

Negative
- Wanted a little more on his education and career growth when starting out
- Home life should’ve been a little more developed: his loss of love isn’t as effective; brings up child randomly
- Eventually gets dry (to read anyway)
- While the Monkey-Scopes trial was the most interesting part (for me), feel like more detail should’ve been there since it’s one of his most prolific cases

Other
Casting/Acting
- Must be male, and according to script, one 67 years old however – Spacey was 58 when I saw it, wasn’t aged and never even occurred to me that he should have been – though I see why since he is looking back on his life/career
- Must do an Midwestern (Ohio) accent
- All solo productions require actor to be captivating but must be especially so in this case since character/story isn’t comedic or overly animated; Need to be an exceptional storyteller (as Darrow and most lawyers should be) as material could become dry or monotonous
- A lot of material to memorize (though scene/prop design may allow assistance




Direction
- Script gives specific set design, props, lighting cues, blocking but can still be creative
- Doesn’t call for music/sound effects but easily could use some

Production
- Great for black box venues but could do on large stage; even reader’s theatre
- Affordable: one costume, minimal props, scene design

Audience
- Probably won’t be a huge draw: small cast obviously, name alone won’t be draw either
- Should appreciate: not heavy on legalese, relevant history

[Martin Denton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fear of God or anything else is not the beginning of wisdom. Better to have doubt. Doubt leads to investigation, and that's the beginning of wisdom.

Words to live by, in my book. They're from Clarence Darrow, the great American trial lawyer, who lived from 1856 to 1938 and led as heroic a life as any in our history. They come to us in Clarence Darrow, a one-man play by David W. Rintels. In a long career, chronicled here with incisiveness and thoughtfulness, Darrow faced down narrow-mindedness and defensiveness and inequity bred of fear and greed. He championed the right of the laborer to strike and argued eloquently for the eight-hour-day. He took on impossibly unpopular clients like John T. Scopes, the teacher who tried to teach evolution in a Tennessee schoolroom in 1925, or Dr. Ossian Sweet, a Negro who had the audacity to move into an otherwise all-white Detroit neighborhood and tried to face down a mob of his neighbors with a shotgun.

Darrow defended accused murderers, innocent or guilty, to keep them from being put to death themselves by their government:

I am pleading for a time when hatred and cruelty will not control the hearts of men, when we can learn by reason and judgment and understanding that all life is worth saving, and that mercy is the highest attribute of man.

We learn in Rintels's play that Darrow looked forward to a more humane, more egalitarian United States; what makes Clarence Darrow so necessary and valuable right now is comparing his vision with the country we actually have in 2022. Stories about the unbridled greed of great capitalists like George Pullman, who housed his workers in tenements that contained not a single bathtub, have a sad, bald resonance. Kneejerk racism and vigilante justice--enemies of Darrow's ideology--haven't gone away. In this unexpectedly timely work, I learned (or was reminded of) important lessons from our nation's history. And I was uplifted and enlarged by the courage and compassion of a man whose achievements are less well-known than they ought to be.

[Dalton Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I don't suppose I've ever in my life wanted to see anybody meet his maker before the appointed day, but there may've been one or two obituary notices I've read with approval."

-Clarence Darrow talking about all of the extremely messed up cases he'd dealt with before the Scopes trial

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Rintel takes us through Darrow's life fluidly and without missing any important steps. It is a very well written play.