I’ve witnessed my share of situations unfold on stage while writing about theater during 25 years as a journalist.
Last week marked a first for me and many others while at the opening night of a world premiere play unveiled at Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
“Pamplona,” a one-man, 90-minute play about the later years of writer Ernest Hemingway, starred TV and film star Stacy Keach.
The show’s run started May 19 with preview performances, but Keach, 75, had trouble remembering his lines and stage directions during the May 30 opening night. About an hour into the performance, the show was halted mid-scene, with a microphone announcement, and the actor was asked to leave the stage. Director Robert Falls addressed the audience and explained Keach had been feeling ill earlier in the day, but wanted to proceed rather than disappoint the audience.
Then the May 31 and Thursday performances were canceled. Friday, Goodman Theatre reps announced the remainder of the run, which had been extended to June 25, was being canceled, saying, “According to Keach’s family, doctors treating the stage and screen star have advised a period of rest and recuperation.”
On Tuesday, Goodman Theatre artistic director Robert Falls told the Chicago Tribune that Keach suffered a mild heart attack during that performance of “Pamplona.”
The thought of standing before an audience and not being able to remember lines is frightening. In public speaking courses I teach at Valparaiso University and Purdue University Northwest, our textbook states that “speaking in front of other ranks as the number one fear, as gathered from polls and surveys, and public speaking even outranks the fear of death itself.”
This fear is all the more reason I marvel at actor Mike Nussbaum, who is 94 and starring as Albert Einstein, never missing a beat nor a breath while giving a mesmerizing performance in the world premiere run of “Relativity,” written by Mark St. Germain and directed by BJ Jones at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, Ill. It has been extended with performances through June 25.
This 90-minute play is comprised of an intimate cast of just three roles. Nussbaum stars opposite Ann Whitney, playing Helen Dukas, who was the devoted housekeeper and secretary for the famed scientist, and later was named in his will as executor of his estate. The third member of cast is Katherine Keberlein, a Valparaiso High School graduate playing the role of a reporter eager to interview Einstein to reveal his most guarded secrets, especially the revelation that in 1902 the scientist and his wife, Mileva, Einstein had a baby daughter who, after 1904, never was seen nor mentioned.
There is much revealed during this tale, set in the 1940s during the celebrity scientist’s later years serving on the faculty at Princeton University. There are references to Einstein’s Jewish faith and the notable names of that time who were known to have anti-Jewish sentiments.
The play gives a thorough examination of the human qualities of Einstein and his interactions with those nearest to him prior to his death at age 76 in 1955. Facts such as his habit of not wearing socks or that he was the father of several children, yet never embraced the role of fatherhood, as well as nods to his very active love life and many affairs, are just some of the insights audiences gain from this fascinating visit with one of the icons of our time.
Nussbaum ranks as an icon of our time. “Relativity” marks his 15th appearance at Northlight Theatre. Nussbaum has worked as an actor in Chicago for more than 60 years. The Actors Equity Association also deems him to be the oldest actor still working on stage. Nussbaum was the first artistic director at Northlight Theatre, which was founded in 1975 at The Evanston Theatre.
The creative team for “Relativity” includes Jack Magaw’s scenic design, JR Lederle’s lighting design, Rachel Laritz’s costume design, Andrew Hansen’s sound design and Stephan Mazurek’s projection design.
Nussbaum has earned a well-deserved reputation as a stage great comfortable in the role of playing history’s great men. St. German also wrote “Freud’s Last Session,” about mindful Dr. Sigmund Freud, which ran for two years off broadway and starred Nussbaum as Dr. Freud for the Chicago run.
Tickets for “Relativity” are $30 to $81, with student tickets $15. Call 847-673-6300 or go to www.northlight.org.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center.
