Review: COPENHAGEN, Cambridge Arts Theatre

What did happen between Bohr and Heisenberg on that night in Copenhagen in 1941? Well, that is the question that Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen attempts to answer, currently playing at Cambridge Arts Theatre. 

Directed by Emma Howlett, Copenhagen tells the story of a clandestine meeting between two physicists: Niels Bohr a Dane (part-Jewish living in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen) and protégé Werner Heisenberg, a young German physicist. 

The play initially tells the story before taking us back intermittently to that night to find the unknown. 

The set is sparse with a giant halo of light occupying most of the stage with chairs and a desk. The stage also rotates to good effect, particularly in the opening moments when the actors use tableau and soliloquy. 

Malcolm Sinclair and Philip Arditti star as Bohr and Heisenberg respectively and their relationship is displayed perfectly on stage. The speed at which they talk is impressive and they manage to keep your attention even when what they are discussing is science and mathematics, which may be harder to comprehend for some. 

Sinclair and Arditti wrestle between the affection they have for one another, anger and barbed humour effortlessly to make the relationship believable. The writing by Frayn enables them to put their own interpretations on the piece, with some wonderfully timed and conscious Hitler and war references, which are vital for the piece in which it is set. 

What is particularly good about the performance is the way that each character gets the chance to tell the story from their perspective and none so more than when Haydn Gwynne’s Margrethe takes the final turn to answer the questions posed. She is clever and exacting, and brings a certain softness to staunchness of the male characters, along with some wry humour. 

The piece has outstanding actors who bring a piece with complex dialogue alive. The reason to see this production is to witness how wonderful they are, from facial expressions to the way that they deliver their lines. Between the three actors, they have managed to bring a meeting between two physicists to life in an interesting and engaging piece. 

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Emma Littler

Copenhagen plays in Cambridge until 17 July before visiting the Rose Theatre Kingston from 20-24 July.