Beki Baker Infuses Lipscomb University's ADA AND THE ENGINE With Sensitivity, Wit and Understanding

Meghan Wombles’ spirited portrayal of 19th century British genius Ada Byron Lovelace provides the very heart of Lipscomb University Theatre’s Ada and The Engine, currently onstage through February 18 at the Shamblin Theatre, in a beautifully conceived production directed by Beki Baker.

Written by the prolific Lauren Gunderson (who has made quite the career from creating works that focus on intelligent women who, more often than not, must fight their own corner so that they might achieve the notoriety – actually, the respect, more like – that society seems to only award men who are found lacking in comparison and who make nowhere near so compelling a dramatic character), Ada and The Engine shines its spotlight on the life of Countess Ada Lovelace, nee Byron, who is considered by many to be the first-ever computer programmer, and coincidentally just happens to be the daughter of the controversial, “mad, bad and dangerous to know” poet Lord Byron, who died quite young, having left Ada and her mother shortly after her birth.

At the age of 17, the bright, enlightened and inquisitive Ada meets mathematician/philosopher/inventor/mechanical engineer Charles Babbage, striking up an abiding friendship that lasted until her death at the age of 36. Babbage, considered the father of the computer due to the fact that he conceived of a digital programmable device that compute calculations beyond what the mere human mind could devise, became infatuated with Ada and encouraged her continued studies even as she met and married a nobleman of middling rank.

Baker infuses Ada and The Engine with her trademark wit, sensitivity and understanding, helping her top-flight ensemble of student actors to bring Gunderson’s inventive script to life in the process. It’s an engaging consideration of the public perception of women’s roles – whether now in the 21st century or in the middle of the 19th century, in which the tale is set – and the contrivances and predilections of historians and academics to focus their attention on the men involved, rather than making note of the women who oftentimes did the real work involved in an act of invention or creation.

As we get to know Ada in Gunderson’s play, we watch as her naivete is supplanted by her very real confidence in her capabilities and her determination to gain credit for her own accomplishments. Wombles is warmly convincing as Ada, at one moment an innocent young girl – charged by her mother to find a husband – at a soiree, while at the next she is discussing maths with a learned man many years her senior. Wombles’ estimable stage presence serves her well throughout the play, during which she firmly establishes herself with ease.

Playing opposite her as Babbage is Lorenzo Rivera, who conveys a sense of maturity that barely conceals his obvious physical and mental attraction to the young woman. Introduced by a mutual friend, Ada’s private tutor Mary Summerville (played by Marley Crouch), the pair’s bond is a fait accompli. As their friendship deepens and grows, their collaboration on Babbage's "analytical engine" becomes somewhat rockier: He's only built a model, while Ada's calculations might conceive a whole new world still to come.

As Lord Lovelace, the aforementioned noble who will ask Ada to become his wife, Max Hunkler is somewhat bumbling and charming in manner, characteristics which belies genuine infatuation with his soon-to-be-wife. As the two men vie for Ada’s attention, it’s unclear to whom she will pledge complete fidelity; Ada is far too forthright, it seems, to ever subjugate herself to any man.

Andrea Hernandez is quietly effective, if somewhat taciturn, as Ada’s mother Lady Byron, whose main concern seems to be making a good match for her daughter so that she might break free from Victorian era prejudices that stem from Lord Byron’s much-discussed sexual escapades. But try as she might, Lady Byron cannot stifle her daughter’s fascination with her father, played in a late scene that serves as a coda for Ada’s life, by Bryce Dunn. Perfectly cast as the rakish romantic poet, Dunn takes on the challenge of playing Byron as if the role were, in fact, written for him.

Gunderson’s play considers the relationship between daughter and father – or more to the point, the lack of one – by bringing the two together in a rather fanciful meeting in the next world that allows them to know each other by comparing their similarities, which allows Wombles and Dunn to put their talents on full display in a fantasy sequence that is beautifully staged by Baker and her tremendous creative team.

Andy Bleiler’s beautiful scenic design provides the perfect settings for the scenes of the characters at-home, while his skilled eye also gives audiences a peek into the next world in which Ada and Lord Byron finally meet. Stephen Moss’ exquisite lighting perfectly illuminates the Shamblin stage, transforming it with each wonderfully designed cue.

June Kingsbury’s tasteful costumes allow the actors to more readily find their characters, we suspect, while Nettie Kraft’s dialect coaching ensures they sound like upper-class Brits of the period.

Ada and The Engine. By Lauren Gunderson. Directed by Beki Baker. Stage managed by Aubrey Bagley. Presented by Lipscomb University Theatre. At Shamblin Theatre, Nashville. Through February 18. For details, go to www.lipscomb.edu/theatre.

photos by Sarah Johnson

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