What I liked
What I liked…
This is a beautifully and artfully written collection of statements and quotes from Ingersol’s speeches which speak volumes about who Ingersoll was. The words had the flavor of Mark Twain.
What I didn't like
The writer was ill served by his director and his actor.
Altho Ingerol was a portly gentleman in real life – it is his words
which the writer is bringing to light for our generation. At this point in time, his physical presence is insignificant. Why the director would have encouraged the distracting clownish costume was very strange and so is the question of why the director would have encouraged the actor’s delivery which made Ingersoll sound pompous when the words were witty and wise and funny and so far ahead of their time.
My overall impression
An extraordinary and timely piece. It is witty and stunningly
prescient. An actor with the range of Hal Holbrook would have been able to bring Ingersoll to full bore, letting us savor him joyfully, instead of having to leave, wishing for more of those stunning quotes wanting to know what the MAN was feeling, and what drove him to dare to speak in spite of vilification and because he was sought after and honored in his time. We know this because the writer thoughtfully prepared material which told us far more than the performance. Ingersoll lived and moved his generation — as he should move ours.
