Despite being famous for his quotable quotes and outstanding contributions to physics, Albert Einstein has remained a man of mystery.
After a dream run at the Chippen Street Theatre last year, Joining the Dots Theatre Co. will be bringing their production of ‘Relativity’ to Riverside Theatre in Parramatta, giving you the opportunity to get to know the man under the white hair.
Producer and cast member Alison Chambers recalls being infatuated with the play ever since she found the first 10 pages of the script over two years ago, which left her yearning for more.
“It just has everything that I love about a play,” she said.
“It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s got great heart, and then, as a producer, it’s only three people, so you’re not wrangling the cast of thousands, so it was a great choice for us.”
After a few interruptions due to COVID, the team put on an incredible and hugely popular season last year, making Chambers even more excited to relive it at Riverside.
“Where we had our first season, it’s an independent theatre that was a drama school by day, so at night we’d have to pack down the set, so it was a very simple set,” she said.
“To actually be able to have a set and make it something a bit more solid that can stay up is just adding another wonderful element.”
Despite this, Chambers assures that the play itself can stand alone without the bells and whistles, with the sparkling dialogue the true star of the show.
“The story itself is what is the spine of this play, so just having those two fantastic actors tell the story, you could be on a bare-set stage with no lights, and it would be absolutely engrossing,” she said.
The play opens in 1942, with a journalist played by Nisrine Amine coming to interview Einstein, portrayed by Nicholas Papademetriou.
Noting that in 1902, Albert and Mileva Einstein had a daughter who, after 1904, was never seen or spoken of again, questions are posed as to whether she is more interested in the public theories, or the private man.
Though Chambers appears in a more minor role, she said it’s a pivotal one in the trajectory of the story.
“I’m playing the German housekeeper, and my role is quite small, but important, in that it breaks up the main story, which is a journalist that comes to interview Einstein,” she said.
“The German housekeeper, who is totally in defence of Einstein and very protective of him from the outside world, is not happy about this intrusion, and so she’s sort of popping in and out throughout the play to make sure he’s okay.”
According to Chambers, the show is perfect for anyone who loves a good story – or a particular favourite from Riverside in 2022.
“Last year, Riverside put on Clock and Spiel’s production of ‘Freud’s Last Session’, and that was hugely popular,” she said.
“It’s the same playwright, Mark St. Germain, who specialises in putting historical characters into imagined circumstances, and Nicholas (Papademetriou) played Freud in that, so anyone who saw that show, would definitely be lining up to see this one.”
Despite assumptions, Chambers promises there’s no need to know physics to love this play, with ‘Relativity’ instead promising a human story with some big surprises.
“It really does tweak your curiosity, about ‘Who is this man?’, ‘Who is this Einstein?’,” she said.
“So many people went home and Googled what was true and what wasn’t.”
‘Relativity’ will be on at Riverside Theatres from Wednesday, May 10 to Saturday, May 13. Tickets start at $43. For more information or to book, visit riversideparramatta.com.au.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.