In 1951, a brilliant young British chemist named Rosalind Franklin went to King’s College, London, to study DNA fibers, one of the hottest areas of scientific research worldwide. By 1953, she had come up with several discoveries that changed science forever. Anna Ziegler has taken this woman and her moment in history and expanded on them in the current play at Theater J, “Photograph 51.” That photograph, taken by Franklin, is an X-ray of a double helix strand of DNA. It’s the one that unlocked the secrets of the universe.
| Onstage |
| ‘Photograph 51’ |
| Where: Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW |
| When: 7:30 Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Saturdays; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays; through April 24 |
| Info: $35 to $60; 800-494-TIXS; theater.org |
Although she says that she has “altered timelines, facts and events,” Ziegler seems to have been fundamentally faithful to the facts in her play. She paints a portrait of Franklin (Elizabeth Rich) surrounded by male scientists who don’t understand or appreciate her, who still play by the “old boys’ rules,” dining in an all-male dining hall and going to all-male pubs after work.
The two most obvious antagonists to Franklin, as a woman and as a scientist, were Francis Crick (Michael Glenn) and James Watson (James Flanagan). In Ziegler’s play, they are out to win the Nobel Prize and to live luxurious lives. Flanagan is particularly good as the wired, excitable Watson, who has nothing but disdain for the all-business Franklin.
Maurice Wilkins, the lead scientist with whom Franklin originally worked at King’s, is portrayed well by Clinton Brandhagen, although the role seems to be lacking a certain substance. Wilkins was an accomplished scientist. In the play he’s something of a simplistic buffoon, both smitten with Franklin and simultaneously afraid that a female will encroach on his territory. Historically and in the play, Wilkins gave Crick and Watson access to Franklin’s research, allowing them a competitive edge in the race to reveal the structure of DNA.
Tim Getman is taking as the American scientist, Don Caspar, who wins Franklin’s attention through his beautifully crafted letters. When he comes to London to study on a fellowship, affection blossoms between the two scientists in a gently nuanced romantic interlude.
“Photograph 51” is a delicate work and Daniella Topol has directed it with a light touch and upbeat tempo. She has also very neatly integrated the work of her ensemble, but two performances stand out. Alexander Strain becomes an important sounding board to Franklin in his role as Ray Gosling, Franklin’s doctoral student.
The other outstanding performance comes from Rich, who plays Franklin as serious but not unapproachable, savvy at seeing through the humbug of the scientists who envy her, and as in love with science as she is with life. Rich’s straightforwardness and energy make credible the brilliance and articulate nature of one of the outstanding scientists of the modern era.
