Copenhagen
by Michael Frayn
Directed by Wayne Salomon
St. Louis Actors’ Studio
February 11, 2024
Joel Moses, Lizi Watt, Aaron Orion Baker
Photo by Patrick Huber
St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Michael Frayn is a versatile playwright. After watching Copenhagen from St. Louis Actors’ Studio, with its complex characterizations and moral, philosophical, and challenging subject matter, I find it somewhat amazing that this comes from the same playwright as the outrageous farce Noises Off! One thing the two plays do have in common, though, is precision. Copenhagen, as directed by Wayne Salomon on stage at STLAS’s Gaslight Theatre, features a complex, precisely structured script that requires much from its actors, who deliver with profound effect in this tightly paced production. It also requires much in the way of thought from its audience, as matters of moral complexity, as well as some intricate matters of philosophy, mathematics, and quantum physics play major roles in this story based on history.
The story follows two well-known physicists, Niels Bohr (Aaron Orion Baker) and Werner Heisenberg (Joel Moses), as well as Bohr’s wife, Margrethe (Lizi Watt), as the three start out existing “out of time”, as sort of ethereal spirits, pondering what happened on a famous day in 1941 when Heisenberg came to Copenhagen to meet with his former mentor, Bohr. Since Heisenberg was working on atomic energy for the German government, and the Bohrs were living in Nazi-occupied Denmark, the tensions are apparent, as the three figures act out various versions of that much-debated meeting. The moral questions revolving around atomic weapons and Heisenberg’s loyalties are brought up again and again, as the physicists also discuss principles of theoretical physics, and reminisce about earlier times, when Heisenberg was a young student learning from Bohr. Emotions run high, as profound questions and life or death issues are debated, and the deep friendship is challenged. While the two physicists are prominent, Margrethe is equally so, as a partner in her husband’s work and an essential participant in the quest to answer the insistent question–“why did Heisenberg go to Copenhagen?”
The relationships are strong and clear, as portrayed by the excellent trio of performers. Moses, as Heisenberg, is a bundle of contradictions and mystery, managing to convey a strong presence in the midst of all the intellectual and moral debates. Baker and Watt make a convincing, united couple as the principled Bohr and determined Margrethe. All three present a believable bond, making the emotional struggle all the more convincing. There are some finer points of physics and theory that might go over some audience members’ heads (like mine, for instance), but in the hands of these first-rate performers and under Salomon’s thoughtful direction, the profundity of this confrontation is made clear even for those who might not be well-versed in the finer points of quantum. physics.
The set, by Patrick Huber, is a strikingly abstract, slightly off-kilter base for the action, with Huber’s lighting also adding much to the overall tone of the story. There’s also strong work from sound designer Salomon, costume designer Abby Pastorello, and props designer Emma Glose in helping create a world that exists simultaneously in 1941 Copenhagen an on some ethereal plane out of time and space.
I hadn’t seen this play before, and while I’d heard of Heisenberg and Bohr, I wasn’t particularly familiar with the incident portrayed here. What’s especially compelling about this play, though, is that it still works, even for those who aren’t really “science people”, especially as portrayed here by a trio of first-rate actors at the Gaslight Theater. There’s a lot to think about here, and St. Louis Actors’ Studio has presented about as strong a version of this story as I can imagine. It’s a remarkably compelling production.
St. Louis Actors’ Studio is presenting Copenhagen at the Gaslight Theater until February 25, 2024
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