Writing and performing a one-man show is HARD. I mean, you are the sole focus of the audience’s attention for the next 90 minutes. If it sucks, you can’t blame it on your costar. Want to add an extra element of pressure? Make your show about a famous historical figure. An historical figure most people think of in positive terms. Yeah, you say the wrong thing and people are NOT going to be happy with you.
Well, that’s exactly what Jack Fry has taken on with his play Einstein! In this play, Einstein comes back from the beyond to inform the audience that he is about more than just crazy hair and witty one-liners. We are taken back to a time before Einstein was famous, when he was struggling with his work and family. We’re given an intimate look at his relationship with his children, as well as his love of science, and how hard those two things could be to balance.
Written with compassion and humor, Jack Fry shows us an Einstein that is not often seen. A young man full of love, aspirations, and frustration. He tells us stories of his younger years, his relationship with his wife, and shares some of his favorite hobbies with us. We witness moments of his life that not many see, as Einstein impersonates others as he reminisces.
I was amazed that one person on a small stage could capture my attention so well. But Fry did. He took my family and me on a journey through history as we became part of Einstein’s story. I laughed, I cried, I felt.
My children don’t know much about Einstein. Before the play, they knew his name and his image, but not a whole lot about what he contributed to the world through science. This play was a great introduction into his life as well as the theory of relativity. It was fun and entertaining with a little bit of education thrown in. On the night we attended, most of the audience was adults. It’s fun and entertaining for adults, but I think older kids could really glean a lot from it. My 9 year old really enjoyed it, the 7 year old got restless, but that’s pretty normal for him. I think upper elementary through high school could be really entertained and get a lot out of this play.
Einstein! is running a limited engagement right now at IndyFringe Basile Theatre. Go see it tonight at 7:30. Adults $20, students $10.
