Fission For Compliments

Lee and I got a chance to catch a sneak peek of Copenhagen at Centre Stage in Greenville at tonight’s final dress rehearsal. Our good friend the amazing Chris White is one of the leads and it’s a top notch show. If you’re a local, you need to take an evening or afternoon and go, go, go. It runs June 9-11 and 15-18 at 8:00pm and June 12 and 19 at 3:00pm.

From the playbill: It is 1941. The Nazis have occupied Denmark for more than a year. Under the surveillance of the Allies and the Gestapo, two scientists – Bohr and Heisenberg, former friends and colleagues – meet. Why they meet and what they discuss remains a mystery that [playwright Michael] Frayn explores in this Tony Award winning play.

The weight of the decisions these men dealt with in their lives (the moral and scientific implications surrounding the creation and first use of fission-powered nuclear weapons on live targets) is intense to say the least; but the weight of their friendship (an odd jumble of father/son, competition, love, hate, inspiration, and mutual respect) is also present. The dialogue is wonderful and, although it’s a difficult play and requires some dedication from the viewer, it’s worth it for the experience. Go support some good art, people.

By the way, the director’s name is Phil Hill and he totally looks like an elderly character from a Pixar movie. I had to fight the urge to sketch him.