Silent Sky

Reviewed by Taylor Kass

Sierra Madre Playhouse

Through October 9

RECOMMENDED

It might be a man’s world, but the stars belong to everyone. Lauren Gunderson’s 2011 Silent Sky follows the true story of 20th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (Ann Marie Wilding), whose work on the brightness of stars revolutionized the field, despite her not being allowed to touch a telescope. Under the polished direction of Barbara Schofield, the Sierra Madre Playhouse’s production of Silent Sky is strong and engaging, with a sensitive treatment of its inspiring subject.

We meet headstrong Henrietta at her family’s home in Wisconsin, where her father is a pastor and her sister Margaret (April Elize) is content to marry and live a small town life. Henrietta is not so content and uses her own dowry to travel to Harvard and pursue her relentless desire to study the sky. As a woman, Henrietta is relegated to the role of “computer” at the Harvard College Observatory, where she catalogs the position, size, and brightness of stars alongside the spirited Annie Cannon (Candida Celaya) and Williamina Fleming (Aubrey Saverino), who make groundbreaking discoveries of their own – despite being paid cents and discouraged from establishing their own theories.

Young astronomer and professor’s assistant Peter Shaw (the charming Jack Menzies) is the only male character in the play – a sometimes unwelcome intrusion to the women’s office as he timidly but persistently courts Henrietta. His earnest awkwardness plays nicely with Wilding’s quirky and naive Henrietta, and Wilding’s warmth prevents the fiercely intelligent Henrietta from seeming irredeemably obsessed with her work. They’re a couple to root for, but Henrietta’s single-minded devotion to the stars leaves little brain-space for trivial human emotions. It’s both her greatest strength and greatest weakness  —  is a legacy comprised of the work you’ve done or the people you’ve loved?  Gunderson’s dialogue is clever and snappy, but occasionally borders on overly pithy. These characters are immensely intelligent, yes, but the play’s best and most emotional moments are when they drop their wittiness and come back down to earth.

Silent Sky’s plot, as brisk and urgent as Henrietta’s dedication to deciphering the universe’s mysteries, unravels somewhat in the second act as it is tasked with compressing the final years of her life into a neat conclusion. Henrietta’s greatest obstacle is time itself – her rush to make a meaningful contribution to a field in the midst of unprecedented discovery, her illness and family obligations that cut her work short, and being born into a time period that refused to recognize a woman’s ideas.

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm; Sat.- Sun., 2 pm; thru Oct. 9. Sierramadreplayhouse.org or 626-355-4318 . Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes including one 15-minute intermission.