Physicists Reviews

The Times Union has a review of the play, written by Michael Eck.

About Roger:
"Rees is in good form as "Newton," and he is virtually unidentifiable upon his entrance under all those prissy curls. Mark Blum is his equal as "Einstein."

About the production:
""The Physicists" is dated, but with a little work on the patron's part its messages can be easily translated to today. Regardless, it is a very entertaining, thought-provoking show, given a solid, often striking production by the festival."

Full review: Times Union


In the Boston Globe Terry Byrne has a slightly different opinion:
"Friedrich Durrenmatt's "The Physicists" feels painfully dated. In a world in which improvised explosive devices generate more fear than the atomic bomb, a play about preventing knowledge from getting into the wrong hands seems out of synch. Set in 1962, this darkly comic drama lacks the intensity of Durrenmatt's better-known "The Visit," and it gets tangled in overwrought plot twists. But the Williamstown Theatre Festival production delivers a sudden jolt of energy halfway through the second act, due in large part to the sheer force of will of the three leading players.

...

Fortunately, Blum, Rees, and Campbell rise to the occasion as their characters' carefully constructed pretenses fall away. Blum is almost childlike as the wry, absent-minded professor; Rees is commanding, almost comically condescending as he plops on his Newton wig; and Campbell's ardent plea to protect mankind from scientific knowledge is delivered with earnest sincerity."

Full review:
Boston Globe