“The Einstein Project,’’ a biographical drama at Stockbridge’s Berkshire Theatre Festival Tuesday through July 18, is the latest in a long string of regional productions about physicists. And as you’ll see in the mini-bios that accompany this periodic table, these guys get their share of unexpected pop-culture attention, too. What’s the attraction: their dark energy, or their charm?
Maybe the connection between science and art is simpler than we think. Maybe, as Einstein said (or was it Shakespeare?), everything is relative. The only mystery, really, is why no one has written a play about Schrödinger’s cat. The title? It’s almost too easy: “To Be or Not to Be.’’
GALILEO GALILEI
CLAIM TO FAME: Earth revolves around the sun
PLAYS: “The Life of Galileo’’ (Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT and Underground Railway Theater), “Two Men of Florence’’ (Huntington Theatre Company)
POP-CULTURE LINK: Indigo Girls*
*Surely you remember them crooning, “King of night vision. . . .’’ That was about Galileo, OK?
WERNER HEISENBERG
& NIELS BOHR
CLAIMS TO FAME: Uncertainty principle, certain destruction
PLAYS: “Copenhagen’’ (American Repertory Theater), Heisenberg only: “The Einstein Project’’ (Berkshire festival)
POP-CULTURE LINK: Jimmy Neutron*
*Big heads and/or poufy hair, obsession with neutrons - really, they’re practically identical.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
CLAIM TO FAME: E = mc
PLAYS: “The Einstein Project’’ (Berkshire Theatre Festival), “Einstein’s Dreams’’ (Underground Railway Theater), “Picasso at the Lapin Agile’’ (New Repertory Theatre), “Einstein on the Beach’’ (American Repertory Theater)
POP-CULTURE LINK: Elvis*
*Spoiler alert: There’s a “visitor from the future’’ in Steve Martin’s play.
NIKOLA TESLA
CLAIMS TO FAME: Alternating current, wireless electrical transmission
PLAY: “Monopoly! Tesla, Edison,
POP-CULTURE LINK: Howard Stern*
*If Tesla takes credit for inventing radio, he must also share in the blame.
RICHARD FEYNMAN
CLAIM TO FAME: Quantum electrodynamics
PLAY: “QED’’ (Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT and Underground Railway Theater)
POP-CULTURE LINK: Maynard G. Krebs*
*Both played the bongos.
