A young, old heart

In spite of being leaner (and much thicker of hair) than the most famous lawyer of the last century, Paul Hauck does a fantastic job conveying the style and substance of Clarence Darrow. This one-man show, The Trials of Clarence Darrow, which was also penned by Hauck, is directed by Richard Williams; it makes full use of the space (which can be a hard thing to do). In addition to Darrow, Hauck portrays a couple of his clients, which provides some insights into why Darrow remains so beloved of those who labor in the arena of social justice. The most famous trials of all—the Scopes “Monkey Trial” and the murder trial of Leopold and Loeb—are also covered, but the emphasis is on the man, not the legend. This Darrow is no angel; he acknowledges being a bad husband and owns up to his own shortcomings. That’s a rare lawyer, indeed; as Edgar Lee Masters wrote of him, he was “old when he was born.”