Acclaimed by critics for its unique insight and 'atomic' stage design, Copenhagen, Michael Frayn's Tony Award-winning play, is based on the secret 1941 meeting between two brilliant physicists discussing the potential for an atomic bomb in Nazi Germany.
Besides German Werner Heisenberg and Danish Niels Bohr, the only other character is Bohr's wife Margrethe, Frayn's gift to those who don't dabble in quantum physics.
The play — which takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Eisenhower Auditorium — explores what might have happened during that fateful meeting and raises important moral and philosophical questions, said Amy Dupain Vashaw, audience and program development director at the Center for the Performing Arts.
Tanny McDonald, who plays Margrethe in the production, said, "We all look at the world from our own perspective, and in Copenhagen you see three different angles as to what might have happened. And in the end, it's really based all in the eyes of the beholder.
"It's also a very philosophical play," McDonald added. "There are all these gems that have to do with life in general."
|
'Copenhagen'
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Date: Tuesday Place: Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets: Copenhagen ticket prices are $28 for general audience, $23 for students, $13 for University Park students and $14 for children 12 and younger. Visit the Arts Ticket Center at Eisenhower Auditorium between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or call 863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX to purchase tickets. |
Because historians aren't sure exactly what happened at that secret meeting — and because there are so many differing views — McDonald says one of Copenhagen's best qualities is its presentation of different possibilities. Even the 3-member cast disagrees about what went on there.
"Sean Arbuckle, who plays Heisenberg, is absolutely sure that Heisenberg is coming to put a damper on both (atom bomb) programs," McDonald said with a laugh. "He's sure Heisenberg is a hero, and I'm sure he wasn't. It's funny because we've really become convinced of our characters and have begun taking their views.
"It's because we all see things from our own perspectives," she added, "that whenever two people come together there's the possibility of change, of something different happening. And I think that's kind of what the end of the play is saying. Yes, we all see things from our own perspective, but ... there's the possibility of changing something."
And while Copenhagen centers on a discussion of quantum physics for the numerically daring, Vashaw explained that Margrethe's presence forces Heisenberg and Bohr to talk in simpler terms.
"Margrethe brings things down to the layman's level simply by asking questions," Vashaw explained. "(Heisenberg and Bohr) simply put it in a framework that we who don't know Nazi physics can understand."
Asked about audience reactions to Copenhagen's seriousness, McDonald replied with a laugh, "It's not dry at all! Au contraire! There are lots of laughs and lots of wonderfully witty exchanges. I think the audiences are always intrigued ... and these issues are still in the news today. That makes working on Copenhagen especially exciting."
Karen Durst, Penn State School of Theatre professor, said that Copenhagen is written in a unique way, moving "back and forth in time, allowing (the characters) to discuss the central issues from the perspective of distance. Jean-Paul Sartre once said that life was like riding backwards in a convertible. In other words, you really only understand the relative relationship of events as you move away from them. In this play the characters have the benefit of perspective."
To explain Copenhagen's themes and subject, New York Times theater critic Mel Gussow will speak at a special Artistic Viewpoints at 6 p.m. the night of the performance and host an open discussion afterward. Registration for the pre-performance Artistic Viewpoints is already filled.
Copenhagen ticket prices are $28 for general audience, $23 for students, $13 for University Park students and $14 for children 12 and younger.
Visit the Arts Ticket Center at Eisenhower Auditorium between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or call 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX to purchase tickets.
