[ssba]
Einstein is a Dummy
Reviewed by Jessica Salans
Sierra Madre Playhouse
Through April 17
Einstein is a Dummy is a musical for young adult audiences, written by Karen Zacarias who is playwright-in-residence at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
The story begins with our hero, 12-year-old Albert Einstein, chasing a pool of light, wanting to show off his violin skills to the audience. It is the day of a big concert recital and young Albert grapples with taming his big imagination to fit in with societal norms. He wants to please his parents, win the affection of violin prodigy and classmate Elsa, and appease his music teacher, Herr Schloppnoppdinkerdonn, who’s ridiculous name matches the ridiculous standards he holds of his students in executing “boring” music.
Einstein’s journey of self-acceptance is accompanied by his pet cat, aptly named Cat. Cat instills encouragement and play in Albert as the boy falls into the depths of tweenage self doubt, wishing he could snuff his curiosity and be normal like his pompous classmate, Constantin. Whenever Cat enters the scene, the play shifts into dreamlike, imaginative song and dance, which highlight various equations and theories of the adult theoretical physicist.
Due to the breadth of Einstein’s achievements, there were many directions and discoveries the play addressed in its ballads and quirky tunes. However, the amount of diverse “lessons” leads the play to an unfocused series of events with an unsteady central plot. The ensemble of five (the play is double cast) brings heart to the production, even if their vocal prowess leaves one wanting something more substantial and robust. The most rewarding moment of the play is in the quiet recognition between Albert and Elsa, when we learn of Elsa’s hearing impairment and her insistence that Albert look at her more so she can read his lips to fully comprehend what he is saying. (Which he reverently agrees to.)
The set design, by Sarah Krainin, has a lovely arc of half moon silver and blue, framing the stage’s proscenium. Some of the props used, like larger than life finger pointed cut outs, feet superfluous, but video design by Sean Cawelti adequately supports each moment.
I am weary of what we define as acceptable storytelling for educational theatre geared at young audiences. Einstein has a fun group of characters to connect with and laugh at, but with the breadth of talent in Los Angeles, I wonder what a cast of truly stunning vocalists and dancers could add to the story. Even with top notch talent, however, Einstein’s unfocused string of events leaves for a mushy plot, with educational definitions thrown randomly into the mix. With a brilliant muse of a protagonist, whose real life discoveries are rich in creative metaphor, it would have been lovely to see the academics integrated and artistically explored within the actual story.
Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre; Sun., 2:30 p.m.; through April 12. https://sierramadreplayhouse.org/
