Nussbaum illuminates Einstein's private world in Northlight premiere
Review by Catey Sullivan
If ever there was an actor/part pairing that truly lived up to the "born to play the role" cliché, it's the one on stage now at Skokie's Northlight Theatre. As Albert Einstein, Mike Nussbaumembodies the iconic genius from head to toe. Look at pictures of the two side by side and you realize they could probably pass as twins. Still, it would be a significant disservice to describe Nussbaum's work in playwright Mark St. Germain's intriguing as simply a function of his striking physical resemblance to the man who unlocked the secrets of the universe.
If you're not a rocket scientist, you'll leave Relativity with a better understanding of the observable universe, and a greater awe of whatever lies beyond it. The drama is tinged with science, and gracefully touches down on the dazzling mysteries Einstein helped unlock.
But Relativity is first and foremost a drama about human relationships and their defiance of the reliable rules and laws that govern the known world. Relationships are the massive monkey wrench in the cosmic equation: They are unpredictable, ungovernable and as chaotic as emotion. Their messiness is at the core of Relativity, along with a query for the ages: If you're a great man, does it matter whether you're also a good man?
As he's grilled by a young reporter, Einstein snaps that it doesn't matter. So what if Charles Dickens abused his wife and turned his back on his children? What matters isn't that Dickens left his family, Einstein declares. What matters is that Dickens left the world his novels.
Reporter Margaret Harding (Katherine Keberlein) disagrees. And over the course of her polite but relentless interview, she opens a long-sealed scar. Einstein had a daughter, born in 1902. He abandoned the baby and the baby's mother. Margaret won't leave Einstein's inner sacred home office until she has answers. How can Einstein live with himself after renouncing his own infant daughter and her mother? How can such a brilliant man also be such a cruel man?
Despite the intensely hostile glare of Einstein's protective housekeeper Helen (Ann Whitney), Margaret remains undaunted. Over the course of St. Germain's 75-minute dialogue, Einstein eventually cracks open - just a bit.
Nussbaum is the inarguable star of the production and he's got a leonine presence even when he's Einstein-as-slightly-daffy-absent-minded-professor. Einstein changes over the course of his conversation with Margaret - his uncompromisingly authoritative nature is rattled.
As the tremors of uncertainty flicker across Nussbaum's face, it's almost like watching a hairline crack form on a dinner plate. There's nothing heavy handed in St. Germain's writing, but it's eminently fitting that several plates and the odd tea cup are smashed over the course of the production. As the dinnerware cracks, it's impossible not to see the parallel with Einstein's own previously unbreakable sense of his own righteousness.
Keberlein is a formidable scene partner for Nussbaum. Margaret looks like she stepped out of a circa 1950 Vogue editorial - Einstein flirtatiously remarks repeatedly on her attractiveness. But there's steel underlying the impeccably ladylike veneer. Margaret has a powerful impetus for getting her interview with the elusive Einstein, and once she's got him in her sights, she has the tenacity of a bull. Whitney's possessive housekeeper Helen is also no shrinking violet; she's ferociously devoted to protecting Einstein. Watching Helen and Margaret square off is a delight.
Jack Magaw's set design is a detailed representation of Einstein's inner sanctum - the home office he guards with obsessive rigor. It's enhanced by Stephan Mazurek's towering projections, which provide a dreamy visual for the nuts and bolts of physics.
At only 75 minutes, Relativity might well leave you wanting more. Brevity or no, however, it contains multitudes.
Relativity continues through June 18 June 25th at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd. (map), with performances Wednesdays 1pm &7:30pm, Thursdays 7:30pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 2:30pm & 8pm, Sundays 2:30pm. Tickets are $30-$81 (students: $15), and are available by phone (847-673-6300) or through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at Northlight.org. (Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
behind the scenes
Tags: 17-0535, Andrew Hansen, Ann Whitney, BJ Jones, Catey Sullivan, Chicago Theater, Jack Magaw, JR Lederle, Katherine Keberlein, Mark St. Germain, Mike Nussbaum, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Northlight Theatre, post, Rachel laritz, Rita Vreeland, Stephan Mazurek
Category: 2017 Reviews, Catey Sullivan, New Work, North Shore Center for the Arts, Northlight Theatre, Video, World Premier, YouTube
