Helpful Score: 1
Even someone who does not know the life of Thoreau would enjoy this unique examination of his concerns about conformity, war and slavery. This is a thinking man's play requiring a little knowledge about transcendentalism, the Mexican War and Ralph Waldo Emerson so as to enrich ones understanding of the material. It has a nice balance between humor, philosophy (a rather deep subject) and anger toward the issues of Thoreau's times. This is a thoughtful brief read of only 101 pages. My reservations arise from a concern that too many subjects may have diffused the force of the play.
The writers of Inherit the Wind strike again. With a dearth of stage props (à la Wilders Our Town), this drama contains much dry wit mixed with wisdom. This time the target of their drollness is Henry David of Walden fame and his infamous night in the calaboose for failure to pay taxes due to his condemnation of the U.S.-Mexican War. Written towards the end of the Vietnam fiasco it is no less appropriate today.
