Review: PHOTOGRAPH 51 at Berkshire Theatre Group

PHOTOGRAPH 51, at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge presents a balance of the historical, romantic and scientific, PHOTOGRAPH 51 is about ambition, isolation and the race for greatness.

The portrait of British scientist Rosalind Franklin and her often overlooked role in the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure is set in the 1950s, the age of scientific discovery, researchers are scrambling to be the first to unlock the mysteries of DNA. Among these scientists is Franklin, an underappreciated genius working as the sole woman in her field of study. When one of her photographs shows the structural outline of DNA for the first time, her competitors James Watson and Francis Crick are rapt with attention. Watson and Crick’s ambition to become the first to create a working model of DNA, coupled with Franklin’s stubbornness, leads the two men to gain notoriety as the first to complete and discover the DNA model and leave Franklin out of the history books.

Much of the play’s early action establishes Rosalind (Rebecca Brooksher) as a strong, highly qualified woman in a world virtually exclusive to men, long before the feminist movement began to chip away at the glass ceiling. A world in which men enjoy privilege without question and the very notion of equality between genders does not exist. Rosalind is undermined by her colleague, Maurice Wilkins (David Adkins) who repeatedly takes credit for her efforts. He allows Rosalind and her work to barely exist in the background, leaving her to be seen only as a nameless "photographer" rather than a prominent scientist responsible for groundbreaking work. She also struggles to compete with the rival scientific team of James Watson (Allen Tedder) and Francis Crick (Christian Coulson) in a race to unlock the mystery of the DNA molecule.

Under the direction of David Auburn, Franklin is presented as a stoic character seemingly devoid of personality. She appears relatively dry, plain, and direct telling a colleague: "I do not joke. I take my work seriously". When Rosalind's colleague, Ray Gosling (Brandon Dial) admits his fear at the risk and potential danger of their work, she remains strong and incredibly dedicated to the task at hand. We learn, however, that there is depth below the surface. Rosalind's tough no nonsense e exterior is in response to a world ruled by perception rather than reality. Where societal norms and expectations dominate, and in which she must be exponentially better than her male counterparts, only to be seen as having a fraction of their worth and value. Writer, Anna Ziegler, drives the point of reality being far different from perception and assumption by painting the men in the piece to be largely driven by gossip and conjecture rather than factual evidence as one might expect from men of science.  In this production, the potential romance between Rosalind and Don Caspar (Shaun Anthony), a graduate student whom she helps and becomes a colleague, offers a welcome glimpse at humanity, emotion, and interpersonal dynamics that I particularly enjoyed.

With a run time of approximately 105 minutes (with no intermission) PHOTOGRAPH 51 is a biographical piece of theater that plays out in scientific laboratories in mid twentieth century England. The pressure of competition over collaboration is pervasive. There is no getting around the dryness. There are little to no moments of levity or comic relief. The subject matter, like Rosalind, does not allow for jokes. As the dialogue confirms, the world of science can be a rather lonely place.  The ensemble cast is professional, polished, and well balanced.  The artistic team includes Scenic Designer Bill Clarke; Costume Designer Elvia Bovenzi Blitz; Lighting and Projections Designer, Daniel J. Kotlowitz whose collective efforts do a rather simple, but effective job, and help in achieving an overall high-quality production.

PHOTOGRAPH 51 continues through July 1 on the Larry Vaber Stage at The Unicorn Theatre.

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