Einstein's Gift: The Horrors of Great Discoveries

The German word spelled g-i-f-t translates into English as "poison". In Vern Thiessen's historical morality play, Einstein's Gift, the name pays fitting tribute to the work of the title character, a devout pacifist, in developing the atomic bomb, a weapon that saved many lives by destroying many lives.

But Einstein is used more as an observer and narrator here. The focus of the play is on his colleague, German-Jewish chemist Friedrich "Fritz" Haber, whose work also saved many lives but who is remembered, if at all, for the more heinous ways his discoveries were used.

In a letter to Haber's family following his death, Einstein called his life as a German Jew, "the tragedy of unrequited love." The two of them were friends and respected colleagues, corresponding regularly and disagreeing often. Haber, for example, was passionately nationalistic and had himself baptized, as Judaism proved to be a uncuttable piece of red tape that got in the way of his career advancement and his ability to serve humanity while remaining a German. He scolds the younger Einstein for choosing religion over homeland and leaving Germany to become a citizen of Switzerland.

"The role of the scientist is to think, not to tell the future.", says Einstein when Haber asks what use his theories on light will serve. The older chemist argues that science is useless unless it leads to a worthwhile purpose. His work in synthesizing ammonia from its elements to create a more abundant fertilizer was recognized with the Nobel Prize and has kept millions from starvation. But this same work also lead to the development of poison gas used in World War I. Haber died in 1934 without knowing his work to create a stronger pesticide would be used to exterminate millions in the Nazi death camps.

These two sets of conflicting philosophies are what propels Einstein's Gift into motion. The play isn't so much a biography (the author freely admits that facts are adjusted a bit for dramatic purposes) as a series of moral and practical debates which briskly cover the last thirty years of Haber's life and Einstein's ultimate decision to inform President Roosevelt of the possibility of creating nuclear weaponry.

The two leads do excellent work, although their roles are written in such broad strokes that their opportunities to develop fully-realized characters are limited. Shawn Elliot gives us the familiar depiction of the modestly-spoken Einstein in rumpled clothing, trying to make sense of man's monstrous capabilities. Aasif Mandvi has more to work with, cutting a dashing figure and stepping a confident stride as Haber, only to find every fine expectation eventually trampled as he insists on staying loyal to his homeland even as its government treats him as sub-human.

The supporting cast is very good, though limited to playing familiar types. Melissa Friedman portrays Haber's first wife, scientist Clara Immerwahr with the requisite charm and intelligence, while Sarah Winkler is decidedly girly as his second wife, Lotta. James Wallert contributes interesting moments as Haber's assistant, as do Glenn Fleshler, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Nilaja Sun in various small roles. The play is cast non-traditionally, sometimes ignoring the racial boundaries of realism that would keep non-white actors from playing certain roles.

Director Ron Russell's staging is a little busy at times, occasionally having characters uninvolved with scenes looming in the background for unclear reasons (sometimes sitting on the helix-shaped staircase that dominates John McDermott's versatile unit set), but the script is generally handled with a light touch.

Though it only skims the surface of an interesting story, Einstein's Gift, with its praise-worthy central performances, is a fine, accessible introduction to the life of a genius who has been cast aside by the history books for the infamous use of his discoveries, and should inspire many interesting post-theatre discussions and debates.

Photos by Dixie Sheridan: Top: Melissa Friedman, Shawn Elliot and Aasif Mandvi
Bottom: Shawn Elliot and Aasif Mandvi

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