COMEDY STAR SHOWS DIFFERENT SIDE; NIELSEN PLAYS NOTED LAWYER.

Byline: P. Catherine Shanks Community Columnist

Dramatic film actor and funny man Leslie Nielsen lends heart and voice to an American legend in a one-man play opening April 19 at the Civic Arts Plaza.

In an insightfully touching and thought-provoking performance, Nielsen portrays Clarence Darrow, a renowned attorney of the early 1900s whose most notable case was defending the right of John T. Scopes to teach the theory of evolution in public school.

With his performance, Nielsen mixes intellect and emotion and an affectionate spirit, along with a deep respect and concern for the common man. A lifelong ``Darrow-phile,'' the actor honors his humble hero with no faint praise.

``Darrow was quick to show his humanness,'' Nielsen said in a recent phone interview. ``When you get him up - the knight in shining armor, on his horse, slaying dragons . . . Darrow didn't like that.''

Nielsen noted that Darrow represented the ofttimes defenseless masses with a natural style born of a highly complex nature. His compassion for his fellow man was his trademark.

``He was a compassionate man, but was a realist - no dreamer,'' the actor said. ``He was a visionary.''

Nielsen was introduced to the play, based on the Irving Stone novel ``Clarence Darrow for the Defense,'' in the early '70s, with Henry Fonda portraying the title character.

``(Darrow) was such an affectionate, open man,'' Nielsen said. ``That was very much a part of Fonda's performance. I felt, though, that his humanity was not emphasized enough.''

Eager to add his particular theatrical talents to the role, Nielsen took to the stage in the mid-1980s with his unique portrayal of Darrow. He had completed work on the movie ``Airplane

'' in which he played the rather loopy Dr. Rumack.

Nielsen highlighted the quality that allowed him to move from comedic film character to sage stage attorney. ``Insensitivity,'' Nielsen joked.

``The big difference between us is that I'm bowlegged and he's not.''

Nielsen displays the same ``real person'' qualities for which Darrow was known and admired. ``I would love to have been able to stand and speak extemporaneously the way he did,'' Nielsen said.

``Clarence Darrow'' was written for the stage by David W. Rintels. A solo vehicle in which at least 50 other characters are not seen, the play dramatizes the life and career of one of the most colorful criminal defense attorneys of the century. In addition to Scopes, Darrow also defended teen-age thrill-killers Leopold and Loeb, who ultimately received a life sentence for kidnapping and murdering a 14-year-old boy in an effort to commit the perfect crime.

An uncanny ability to portray a range of characters - from comedic clown to courageous leader to notorious villain - has prepared Nielsen to play the multidimensional Darrow. Nielsen's flexibility as an actor is evidenced in an eclectic list of stage, television and film credits which goes on for pages. The actor offered his thoughts on comedy vs. drama.

``Comedy is very precise,'' said Nielsen, who admitted to laughing at his funny and serious on-camera work on a regular basis, when safely behind the camera. ``The big difference between comedy and drama is the ability to penetrate with drama. Laughter equals a great sense of relief.''

Though Nielsen prefers doing comedy to drama, the actor explained how the full range of emotions is available to him at all times, and how he so easily transitions from one type of role to another.

``When the smoke clears, there's nobody else around but me,'' he said, laughing. ``I open up valves of myself that I keep controlled - evil, gentleness - letting some things come out more.''

Over the years, Nielsen has helped the Darrow role expand and evolve.

``I spent my time thinking and thinking and thinking,'' said the actor. He found himself reviewing phrases, wondering why Darrow had said it one way and not another.

In Nielsen's most recent film, he portrays a nearsighted and inimitable character in ``Mr. Magoo.'' Nielsen presented Magoo's review of Clarence Darrow. A laugh bubbled up from some visceral place in the actor's core.

``I have often thought the two of them looked very much alike,'' said Nielsen as Magoo.

When Nielsen is not acting, he devotes his time to golf and loafing. ``I have no goals or ambitions,'' he once commented. ``I do, however, wish to work enough to maintain whatever celebrity status I have so that they will continue to invite me to golf tournaments.''

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PHOTO Leslie Nielsen will portray Clarence Darrow in a one-man show