EDINBURGH 2023: Review: THE TRIALS OF GALILEO, Greenside @ Infirmary Street

Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published in 1632, depicted a dialogue between those who believe in geocentrism, arguing that everything revolves around Earth, and those who believe in heliocentrism, the concept that everything, including the Earth, revolves around the Sun.

Supporting heliocentrism was an act of “heresy” according to the Catholic Church and could lead to a man’s execution if he stood by his heliocentric beliefs. Galileo would be tried by the Roman Inquisition in 1633 and sentenced to stay in his home, never being allowed to publish again. 

Tim Hardy’s The Trials of Galileo begins at the end of the story, with Galileo being sentenced. It is a fascinating place to start and gives Hardy the chance to jump back and forth between important periods of Galileo’s life. He speaks directly to the audience, sometimes as the judges of the Inquisition and sometimes as modern audience members. It is an interesting approach that I really appreciated, as it truly felt like you were in the room with Galileo himself, listening to him tell his story from his perspective after being sentenced. 

Knowing the outcome of the trial makes the show effective as it allows you to think more about Galileo’s actions, knowing where he will end up. There is, however, an interesting twist that comes in for the middle act of the play. It is revealed that Pope Urban VIII had actually given Galileo permission to write Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and had even suggested the title himself. 

Hardy does a wonderful job of portraying Galileo’s internal conflict between the scientific truth that he has discovered using maths and his observations and the sacred truth that has been taught to him by the Catholic Church. He is devoted to God and Jesus Christ and simply cannot believe that what he has observed is a mistake of God. There are some moments that will make both mathematicians and religious men stop and think about their beliefs and how some things can be both true and unbelievable at the same time. 

Ultimately, The Trials of Galileo is a beautiful reflection on one man’s struggle between mathematical truth and his devotion to God without being too heavy on either math or faith. Hardy feels as though he is born to play Galileo.

The Trials of Galileo runs at Greenside @ Infirmary Street in Mint Studio at 10:15 from 15 to 26 August (no performance on 20 August).

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