Stage West Presents COPENHAGEN

Some questions remain long after their owners have died. Lingering like ghosts. Looking for the answers they never found in life. (Margrethe Bohr, in Copenhagen)

In 1941, a meeting took place between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, close friends and colleagues who had revolutionized atomic physics in the 1920s. It was a short meeting, and it ended their friendship. What happened between the two? This is the question at the heart of Michael Frayn's brilliant Copenhagen, beginning a run at Fort Worth's Stage West on Thursday, February 18.

By the time of their meeting, Heisenberg was working for Nazi Germany. Denmark, Bohr's homeland, was Nazi-occupied, and Bohr was assumed to be under their surveillance. So the two men went for a walk, in order to keep their conversation private. Thus, there is no record of what was said between them. Some historical evidence suggests that the conversation revolved around nuclear fission and the possibility of its usage for weapons. Were the two men ultimately divided by opposing views on the morality of The Bomb? This is a question which has intrigued historians for decades.

This may sound like some sort of purely intellectual exercise, but in the hands of a master dramatist like Frayn, it becomes an engaging and uniquely theatrical piece which revolves around three fascinating characters. Bohr, the cautious mentor, and Heisenberg, his more mercurial protégé, bounce dialogue off each other just as they had always done with theories. And the two are frequently brought back to reality by Bohr's wife Margrethe, not herself a scientist, but possessed of a keen mind and a wry understanding of their relationship. Their scenes crackle with intelligence and wit. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called it "Endlessly fascinating...The most invigorating and ingenious play of ideas in many a year...An electrifying work of art."

Michael Frayn was born on September 8, 1933, in the suburbs of London. His mother, a once promising young violinist, died when Frayn was only 12. He showed a talent for music and poetry as a boy, and by the time he was a teenager, he knew that he wanted to be a writer of some sort. Graduating from the University of Cambridge in 1957 with a degree in moral sciences, Frayn soon began his writing career as a reporter and columnist, and published several collections of essays from his columns and wrote several novels. His first playwriting efforts were far from successful, but he continued to write. Alphabetical Order (1975) received raves from the critics and won Frayn the Evening Standard Award for "Best Comedy of the Year". He followed this success with Clouds (1976), Donkey's Years (1977), and Make or Break, (1980) which also won the Evening Standard Award. However, Frayn is perhaps best known for Noises Off (1982), which won him a third Evening Standard Award for "Best Comedy of the Year" and enjoyed a run of four years in London's West End. Copenhagen (1998) brought Frayn once again to the attention of international audiences, winning just about every award possible, including the Tony for Best Play. His most recent plays include Democracy (2003) and Afterlife (2008).

Dana Schultes will direct Copenhagen, which features a terrific cast. Stage West founder Jerry Russell will play Niels Bohr. Chamblee Ferguson, a member of the Dallas Theater Center's resident company who was last on our stage in Stones in His Pockets, will appear as Werner Heisenberg. And playing Bohr's wife Margrethe will be Stage West newcomer Amber Devlin, whose previous credits range from Mrs. McCarthy in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for Dallas Children's Theater to Prospero in The Tempest for Stolen Shakespeare Guild.

The set will be designed by Jim Covault, with costumes by Covault and Peggy Kruger-O'Brien. Lighting will be by resident lighting designer Michael O'Brien, with director Schultes handling sound design. Bill Eickenloff and Justin Flowers will be providing sound editing and special effects.

Copenhagen will preview Thursday, February 18 at 7:30 and Friday, February 19 at 8:00, running through Sunday, March 21. Performance times will be Thursday evenings at 7:30, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00, with Sunday matinees at 3:00. There will be no performance on Thursday, March 18. The opening night reception will be Saturday, February 20. Ticket prices range from $26 to $30, with discounts for students and seniors. Preview tickets are priced at only $15. Pay What You Can performances will be Sunday, February 21 and Thursday, March 4. Food service is available 90 minutes prior to performances (reservations strongly advised. Reservations and information are available through the Box Office (817-784-9378), or on the website, www.stagewest.org.

 

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