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September 20, 2002/Tishri 14 5763, Vol. 55, No. 4
Examining Einstein's human side
LEISAH NAMM
Managing Editor
When the average person thinks of Albert Einstein, a jokester who performed party tricks probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind.
In fact, that characteristic is what surprised Tom Schuch the most during his research for the one-man play "Einstein: A Stage Portrait," which comes to the Kerr Cultural Center Oct. 4-6.
"I always thought of him as this serious scientist who had his head buried in his notes and books," says Schuch (pronounced "shook"). "But he was actually a very funny person; he loved to tell jokes and perform party tricks."
In fact, the actor says, Einstein used to perform party tricks because he would get bored at the numerous formal functions he attended.
Another surprise to Schuch was that Einstein loved music, especially Mozart, and played violin since age 4. "He loved to play chamber music," Schuch says. "He played in small concerts and recitals." To prepare for his role, Schuch had to learn to play violin. "That was really a challenge," he says.
"Einstein: A Stage Portrait," written by Willard Simms, was first presented at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles in 1984 and has won awards for writing, directing and acting. The script has been performed internationally, from California to Zimbabwe, and Schuch has been performing in the one-man play for about a year, mainly in New Mexico.
In the play, Einstein "invites the audience to his home to set the record straight about all the things that have been said about him and written about him," Schuch says. Through the course of the play, the audience learns about his difficulties in school as a child, his two marriages, his children, his love for music, his politics, his religion and his battles with the press. "There's humor, there's introspection, there's science - of course - and a little violin."
While writing the play, Simms enlisted a Nobel Prize-winning physicist to help with the science elements, Schuch says. "The science in the play is very accurate." The Theory of Relativity, what Einstein is most famous for, is described both in a scientific matter and in a way for the average person to understand, Schuch says. "There's not so much science in it that you lose the unscientific people, but there's enough in it to keep the scientists interested as well."
Schuch, who lives in Albuquerque, N.M., received a degree in drama from the University of Washington and has acted in more than 50 theatrical productions. He's also had guest appearances on "The Young and the Restless," "The Nanny" and "The Red Shoe Diaries."
Since he began research for the part, Schuch has gained a "much greater appreciation for not only (Einstein's) scientific intelligence," but also his humanitarian efforts, political activism and his writing. "He also believed very much in Zionism so he led himself to many causes in that area" and was very involved in the early years of the formation of the state of Israel, Schuch says. Einstein turned down a request to become president of Israel because he thought the state of Israel would do much better without him as president, Schuch notes. "He deals with, as he says, theories and equations, not people and politics."
He says audience members will not only be entertained, but they'll leave the theater with a greater understanding of the man behind the science.
"Everybody's heard of Einstein, but not many people know about the human side of him," Schuch says. "That's the gist of the play."
Details
- What: "Einstein: A Stage Portrait"
- Where: Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
- When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5; 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, followed by a Q&A session
- Cost: $20 general, $17 seniors and ASU faculty, $10 students
- Call: 480-596-2660
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