Post by CCADP on Apr 16, 2006 14:50:14 GMT -5
Meet Clarence Darrow.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2006 Daily Press
Byline: Kathy Van Mullekom
Apr. 11--NEWPORT NEWS -- Clarence Darrow was a man before his time -- maybe a man of this time.
So says Gary Anderson, who knows "warts and all" about the most celebrated, and hated, attorney in American history.
"He spent his life campaigning against many of the very things we face today," says Anderson.
Darrow, a Columbo-looking kind of guy who wore slept-in suits in court instead of the French-cut clothes his wife bought, fought for civil liberties and against conspiracy laws. He saved 102 men from the death penalty, battled for civil rights and campaigned for separation between church and state.
The fact that those same issues are hot topics today -- decades after Darrow died in 1938 -- motivates Anderson to introduce the lawyer to theatergoers who want to think and learn, all the while being entertained. The actor travels the country giving a one-man production titled "Clarence Darrow: The Search for Justice." He gives the two-hour performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula at 415 Young's Mill Lane in the Denbigh area of Newport News. Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door; students are $12.
On stage, Anderson wears the Darrow look -- white crumpled shirt, wide tie and red suspenders. He speaks candidly about the lawyer's own jury-tampering trials and shares anecdotes to reveal his personal side. During the drama, you may even find him standing beside or in front of you, asking your opinion about some social issue. It's not unusual for people in the audience to get caught up in the moment, become mad or start crying, he says.
"It's an interactive production where I eliminate the wall between me and the audience and talk to people like Darrow," says Anderson. "You have to be prepared for anything when you make it that interactive."
Anderson's fascination, probable obsession, with Darrow goes back almost a decade when he first began his portrayals of the controversial lawyer who was born in 1857. About 60 to 70 biographies have been written about Darrow, but Anderson began to meet the man through his autobiography, which was simply titled "The Story of My Life." The two best books on Darrow, he says, are "Clarence Darrow for the Defense" by Irving Stone, who also wrote "The Agony and the Ecstasy," and "People vs. Clarence Darrow" by Jeffrey Cowan.
Darrow is best known for the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, which, in some legal circles, is called the case of all times. In court, Darrow faced off with his best friend, lawyer and Christian fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan, in a Tennessee case examining the teaching of evolution in public schools. John Scopes, the teacher in question, and Darrow technically lost the case. The case took a toll on the aging Bryan, who died in his sleep five days after the trial ended.
Throughout his career, Darrow was known for many things outside the courtroom -- two wives, mistresses, big ego and volatile nature. Even so, Anderson views him as a misunderstood American hero who fought against threats to our way of life.
The actor has taken up Darrow's cause to offset the years he personally never voted in elections but always complained about what government was doing, or not doing.
"I was an armchair quarterback," says Anderson, who sidesteps personal questions about age and acting background. "Most Americans give lip service to what they think makes this country strong. I don't want to be that way anymore."
He hopes his portrayal of Darrow makes people realize there are flaws in everyone -- government officials and everyday people. Flaws aren't all bad, no matter how important or unimportant you are, he says.
"You can be a flawed human and still leave a legacy," he says. "You fall down and you get up stronger."
To see more of the Daily Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.dailypress.com.
Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2006 Daily Press
Byline: Kathy Van Mullekom
Apr. 11--NEWPORT NEWS -- Clarence Darrow was a man before his time -- maybe a man of this time.
So says Gary Anderson, who knows "warts and all" about the most celebrated, and hated, attorney in American history.
"He spent his life campaigning against many of the very things we face today," says Anderson.
Darrow, a Columbo-looking kind of guy who wore slept-in suits in court instead of the French-cut clothes his wife bought, fought for civil liberties and against conspiracy laws. He saved 102 men from the death penalty, battled for civil rights and campaigned for separation between church and state.
The fact that those same issues are hot topics today -- decades after Darrow died in 1938 -- motivates Anderson to introduce the lawyer to theatergoers who want to think and learn, all the while being entertained. The actor travels the country giving a one-man production titled "Clarence Darrow: The Search for Justice." He gives the two-hour performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula at 415 Young's Mill Lane in the Denbigh area of Newport News. Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door; students are $12.
On stage, Anderson wears the Darrow look -- white crumpled shirt, wide tie and red suspenders. He speaks candidly about the lawyer's own jury-tampering trials and shares anecdotes to reveal his personal side. During the drama, you may even find him standing beside or in front of you, asking your opinion about some social issue. It's not unusual for people in the audience to get caught up in the moment, become mad or start crying, he says.
"It's an interactive production where I eliminate the wall between me and the audience and talk to people like Darrow," says Anderson. "You have to be prepared for anything when you make it that interactive."
Anderson's fascination, probable obsession, with Darrow goes back almost a decade when he first began his portrayals of the controversial lawyer who was born in 1857. About 60 to 70 biographies have been written about Darrow, but Anderson began to meet the man through his autobiography, which was simply titled "The Story of My Life." The two best books on Darrow, he says, are "Clarence Darrow for the Defense" by Irving Stone, who also wrote "The Agony and the Ecstasy," and "People vs. Clarence Darrow" by Jeffrey Cowan.
Darrow is best known for the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, which, in some legal circles, is called the case of all times. In court, Darrow faced off with his best friend, lawyer and Christian fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan, in a Tennessee case examining the teaching of evolution in public schools. John Scopes, the teacher in question, and Darrow technically lost the case. The case took a toll on the aging Bryan, who died in his sleep five days after the trial ended.
Throughout his career, Darrow was known for many things outside the courtroom -- two wives, mistresses, big ego and volatile nature. Even so, Anderson views him as a misunderstood American hero who fought against threats to our way of life.
The actor has taken up Darrow's cause to offset the years he personally never voted in elections but always complained about what government was doing, or not doing.
"I was an armchair quarterback," says Anderson, who sidesteps personal questions about age and acting background. "Most Americans give lip service to what they think makes this country strong. I don't want to be that way anymore."
He hopes his portrayal of Darrow makes people realize there are flaws in everyone -- government officials and everyday people. Flaws aren't all bad, no matter how important or unimportant you are, he says.
"You can be a flawed human and still leave a legacy," he says. "You fall down and you get up stronger."
To see more of the Daily Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.dailypress.com.
Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.