QED
Written by Peter Parnell
Directed by Maureen Payne-Hahner
at Collaboraction, 1579 N. Milwaukee (map)
thru Dec 9 | tickets: $20-$25 | more info
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Outstanding performance elevates meandering script
theatre4humanity i/a/w Collaboraction Theatre present
QED
Review by Anuja Vaidya
A myriad of interests and influences make up the life of Nobel Prize wining physicist Richard Feynman. Not only was he a physicist who worked on the Manhattan project, but he also dabbled in acting, art and music. QED brings out these facets of the man and his life along with his contributions to science in an intimate setting with Feynman telling us his many stories.
This production rests on the shoulders of Rob Riley, who plays Feynman. It is effectively a one-man show because the only other character we see is one of Feynman’s students. Riley holds up the show with ease, giving a spirited and nuanced performance. From the moment he enters the stage, he is energetic, giving us a sense of Feynman’s abundant enthusiasm and enduring curiosity. He sensitively handles what is perhaps the best moment in the play – when Feynman reads the letter he wrote to his first wife after she passed. Watching this incredibly logical man admit to his irrational action and lose himself in that emotion is moving. Riley expertly transitions from funny to sad stories, which allows the audience to follow them with ease. Grace Wagner, as his student Miriam Field, is endearing.
Although the script is well constructed, both in its composition and its content, it could improve with some sharp editing. An hour and forty minutes dedicated to just Feynman and his stories, interesting though they may be, is just a bit much (unfortunately I found myself looking at my watch). Despite Riley’s wonderful performance, you do get the feeling that the script is scattered, and he cannot make up for that.
The space in which the performance takes place is small, but every inch of it is used. The seats for the audience are lined against the walls around the room, and the ‘stage’ is in the center. Riley works this space well, making sure he isn’t alienating any section of the audience. The walls are made to look like blackboards filled with equations and interspersed with philosophical questions.
Despite moments that capture you, the play’s tendency to drag takes away from this tribute to Richard Feynman. It is, however, a showcase for Rob Riley’s talent.
Rating: ★★½
QED continues through December 9th at Collaboraction Theatre, 1579 N. Milwaukee (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20-$25, and are available by phone (866-212-4077) or online through TicketsOnline. More information at theatre4humanity.org. (Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, includes an intermission)
artists
cast
Rob Riley (Richard Feynman); Grace Wagner (Miriam Field)
behind the scenes
Maureen Payne-Hahner (director); Junella C. Gabriel (stage manager); Courtney O’Neill (set design); Michael Stanfill (lighting); Emily Sater-Murray (costumes); Matthew Grayson (sound and graphic design); Angela M. Campos (props); Kara Karstedt (choreography); Jes Mican (asst. stage manager); Mary-Jane Maharry (public relations)
12-1069
