DC Theatre Scene: “From the hallowed hills of sacred Sinai,” Matthew Harrison Brady bellows. He is red-faced and sweating. He has lost his case; worse, he is losing his audience. “In the days of remote antiquity…” His lips move silently; then he crashes to the floor.
Mercifully, things never got that bad for William Jennings Bryan, Brady’s real life counterpart. But he was a protean figure who got a humiliating comeuppance in what was supposed to be an exercise in self-promotion, and, yes, at the conclusion of it, he died.
1 comment:
This is such an interesting story that was the first major culture war on this issue in our country’s history. It also highlights the sensationalist nature of the press coverage at the time where this small town in Tennessee became the center of a major trial in American history, because it was setup to be a major event. The play sounds like it is a faithful retelling of this story, and explores the fact that this was William Jennings Bryan’s last stand in many ways. Bryan had run for President three times, and this was one of his final major contributions to American life. I hope I have the opportunity to see this show in person.
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