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...Brecht's Galileo, the modern concerns are there. References to the starving Italian peasantry make clear Brecht's political leanings, and in emphasizing the possible dangers of scientific inquiry, he invokes the Einstein/Oppenheimer dilemma. But these issues have too little to do with the progress of the play to hold it together. The political speeches seem like incidental inserts, and by the end of the play Brecht seems to have dropped the issue of science's dangers in his concern with Galileo's integrity...

Author: By Wendy Lesser, | Title: A History Lesson | 5/10/1973 | See Source »

Theoretically, our sympathy with the characters could produce a certain amount of dramatic tension even though we already know the final outcome. Unfortunately, the Loeb production lacks even that tension. Part of the failure can be blamed on Brecht's dialogue, which has a stiffness that marks his characters as unreal figures, as mere vehicles for statements. To a large extent, however, the fault lies with the uneven acting. George Hamlin, as Galileo, has a powerful, expressive voice, but he seems to have trouble remembering his lines. Some of his slips and stammers fit in with the image...

Author: By Wendy Lesser, | Title: A History Lesson | 5/10/1973 | See Source »

...description of a telescope, for example, Galileo immediately constructs his own telescope out of two lenses, two breakfast buns, and an old book. Most of the experiments he conducts are embarrassing in their inanity. Just because he is dealing with the infancy of empirical science is no reason for Brecht to reduce science to an infantile level. The proof that this is unnecessary comes as early as the first scene, when Galileo explains his theories to the young Andrea. Perhaps because he is speaking are truly imaginative, the excitement of scientific discovery is more believable here than in any later...

Author: By Wendy Lesser, | Title: A History Lesson | 5/10/1973 | See Source »

...BRECHT'S INABILITY to convey science convincingly is not just an irritating drawback: it is a central flaw in this work. How much faith can we place in a man's evaluation of scientific progress if he seems to have no conception of what science is? Like this whole production, Brecht's script lacks a tone of authority. The players and the playwright seem equally uncertain about what they are trying to do, and therefore equally incapable of achieving...

Author: By Wendy Lesser, | Title: A History Lesson | 5/10/1973 | See Source »

GALILEO, by Bertolt Brecht. Personally, I have always believed the earth is the center of the universe. But don't let that stop you. Sources close to the Loeb say this is a great production of a poor play. Other sources close to the Loeb say it's a great play in a poor production. Clearly a mixed brew. 8 at the Loeb...

Author: NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED | Title: the stage | 5/10/1973 | See Source »

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