Review - Galileo

Shortly into Bertolt Brecht's Galileo, the 17th Century Italian scientist shows his young companion a model of the Ptolemaic system of the universe, a gyroscope-looking creation depicting the sun and planets and other celestial bodies revolving on golden bands of orbits around the earth. And if you choose that moment to take a look around you at Classic Stage Company's inviting new production, you'll notice how cleverly the environment created by set designer Adrianne Lobel replicates the look of the model, with large celestial globes suspended above the Earthlike playing area and hints of their golden orbits.

Director Brian Kulick's intimate mounting uses the 1947 version of Brecht's drama of the conflict between science and the church in determining our planet's place in the universe, which is said to be influenced by the moral questions brought up by both the use of the atomic bomb and the playwright's own experience being called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. The elegant and naturalistic English translation by actor Charles Laughton, who starred in its premiere, depicts the central character as a visionary with a pragmatic side. He takes credit for the invention of the telescope before the Amsterdam fad hits Venice and earns a tidy sum selling them. But when the device leads him to contradict church doctrine, he is called to the Vatican and threatened with torture if he refuses to recant.

Originally written for a large ensemble, Kulick multicasts a company of nine, centered on the low-key but authoritative Galileo of F. Murray Abraham. Played with tense passion and a sardonic edge, Abraham very effectively shows us a man who delights in his own intellect, whose tragedy is the discovery of how human he is when facing the consequences of his teachings.

The supporting company includes fine turns by Robert Dorfman as the cardinal (and eventual pope) who sees the value of compromise when dealing with science and faith and Amanda Quaid as the daughter who must deal with her father's growing reputation as a heretic.

Though we're pretty secure these days in our knowledge of what exactly revolves around what, the conflicts between religion and science continue to dominate contemporary politics, making Galileo's story one that refuses to lose its immediacy.

Photos by Joan Marcus: Top: F. Murray Abraham and Andy Phelan; Bottom: F. Murray Abraham.

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