Theater West Presents THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A. EINSTEIN 4/20-5/16

By: Mar. 26, 2010
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Opening at Theater West on April 20 and running through May 16 (Saturdays @ 8pm and Sundays @ 7PM).  The Life and Times of A. Einstein is an off-beat, moving, one-character play... a day in the life of Albert Einstein, as seen through the eyes of his secretary and "watch-dog", ELLEN.
The year is 1934. Albert Einstein has fled Nazi Germany with his family and secretary, and settled in the United States.

It is his birthday, March 14, and a group of reporters has gathered in his living room to interview him on this special occasion. Einstein is characteristically late, and the proper but visibly flustered Ellen must stall the restless reporters until he arrives. She fields questions, placates and humors them, while attempting to keep her apparently organized but "chaotic" household running smoothly. Along with tidbits about the Einstein household, Ellen provides the apparently confused reporters her own equally confused version of The Theory of Relativity.

The Life and Times of A. Einstein is a hilarious and touching portrait of this Einstein "loyalist"; as well as a humanizing look into the "great thinker's" life, as seen through the people around him.

About Ms. Kres Mersky:

Feminist playwright, solo performance pioneer, and long-time member of Theatre West, Kres Mersky has been performing in Los Angeles since 1969, following her graduation from Beverly Hills High School. During the 70's and 80's Ms. Mersky appeared in such iconic TV shows as The Smother Brothers Show, The Richard Pryor Show, and Murder She Wrote.

Most recently, Ms Mersky has been performing her two biographic solo shows: The Life and Times of A. Einstein and Isadora Duncan: A Unique Recital at libraries and venue throughout California, Washington State and Canada.

The Life and Times of A. Einstein, originally developed and performed as a 5-person play in the Taper II play development program, is the result of more than 5 years of research into the woman who dedicated her life to running Albert Einstein's domestic affairs and is also thought to have had an ongoing romantic affair with the Nobel Laureate. Staunchly loyal,Ellen Dukas not only ran the Einstein household while he was alive but also managed his estate and protected his image following his demise. She accompanied the Einstein Family to Pasadena while Dr. Einstein was resident at the California Institute of Technology during the 1930's, and to Princeton University thereafter.



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