Brennan Caldwell as Besso (left) and Zal Owen as Albert Einstein in Einstein’s Dreams at 59E59 Theater.
Albert Einstein may be best remembered for hard scientific theories—but a new musical is exposing the humanity that lies beneath the formulas. Directed by Cara Reichel and based on a novel by Alan Lightman, Einstein’s Dreams offers a cerebral exploration into one of history’s most brilliant minds.
The show is set in 1905 Bern, Switzerland, where young Einstein (Zal Owen) was still just a “struggling patent clerk stuck in a room full of flawed ideas.” As Einstein gets distracted from his work by the “contradictions in electromagnetism,” he begins escaping into his dreams, where he’s greeted by a beguiling woman named Josette (Alexandra Silber). The physicist becomes more and more enraptured with his dreams and the woman who awaits him there, and these dreams turn into a series of musings on the nature of time—that will ultimately help Einstein formulate his Theory of Relativity.
Owen as Einstein shakes hands with Josette (Alexandra Silber), his “dream woman,” in Einstein’s Dreams.
The piece consists largely of these musical dreamscapes—which range from three different timelines playing out simultaneously, to the clairvoyant “Relativity Rag”—sandwiched between Einstein sitting in his office, seeking advice from colleague and friend Besso (Brennan Caldwell) while drawing the ire of his boss (Michael McCoy). The way in which these dreams are integrated into the piece often feels somewhat formulaic, following a continual cycle: Einstein has a conversation with Besso, they mention something that inspires Einstein (like Einstein remarking that “no one lives forever,” and Besso responds, “Imagine if they did”), a dream sequence begins—and repeat. The break between Einstein’s real-world scenes and dream world is also not clearly delineated, making it occasionally unclear when Einstein is awake or dreaming (and leaving the impression that the scientist just immediately falls asleep at work at the mere mention of a single, thought-provoking phrase).
These dream numbers are entertaining and witty, yet they sometimes feel diversionary in the moment, running overlong with seemingly little connection to the main plot. Still, writers Joanne Sydney Lessner (book and lyrics) and Joshua Rosenblum (music and lyrics) make the musical feel like a cohesive whole by its end, weaving together Einstein’s dreams to build out his Theory of Relativity and convey it in a more relatable way. (As Josette acknowledges to Einstein, “Everyone in the future will know who you are, but almost nobody will understand your ideas.”) Scientific jargon becomes more easily digestible when translated through personal experiences, and while Lessner and Rosenblum don’t attempt to explain all the nuances of Einstein’s ideas, they dramatize the theory’s core concept in a lucid way that doesn’t get bogged down by minutiae.
The dream conceit is also a useful tool for illuminating Einstein himself; though the musical takes place while Einstein is a young man, one prophetic dream sequence also takes us into the scientist’s distant future and the notoriety he would later achieve. As a result, the musical paints a more complete picture of Einstein than just the limited period we meet him in, using Einstein’s humble origins to humanize the legendary physicist while acknowledging the iconic status he now holds.
Owen sings with Vishal Vaidya (center) and Michael McCoy in Einstein’s Dreams. Photographs by Richard Termine.
The musical’s parade of dream sequences is aided by Rosenblum and Lessner’s strings-heavy score, which particularly shines in smartly crafted harmonies and fugues that layer voices to lush effect, opening up the nine-person chamber musical. The small-scale production is anchored by a basic blue-toned set (by Isabel Mengyuan Le) broken up by white, geometrical straight lines, and a central, circular screen, which feature abstract projections (by David Bengali)—rings of trees, violins—that evoke the musical’s shifting dream spaces.
The strong ensemble cast also helps to flesh out both Einstein's mundane reality and alluring dream world. Caldwell’s Besso is a rational, smart-alecky foil to Einstein who charismatically brings the scientist back to reality, and Tess Primack as colleague Marta shines in a moving musical number that imagines the soon-to-be mother singing to her daughter, vowing to “never let [her] go.” Silber is given a somewhat one-dimensional role as literal dream woman Josette, given that she exists solely as the idealized product of Einstein’s imagination. The actress, however, nevertheless delivers, with a beautiful singing voice and a lithe performance that feels at once dreamy and knowing.
As the show’s titular thinker, Owen is a convincing flawed genius, channeling Einstein’s brilliance while effectively capturing the scientist’s emotional failings. Here, Einstein may be a great thinker, but he’s also distracted and antisocial, escaping into his romantic dream world as a way of avoiding the wife he no longer loves and while eschewing the colleagues by his side. Much like Einstein’s Dreams itself, this Einstein is decidedly imperfect—but ultimately, their intelligence and sense of compelling humanity win out in the end.
Prospect Theater Company’s production of Einstein’s Dreams runs through Dec. 14 at 59E59 Theaters (59 E 59th St.). Evening performances are at 7 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday; matinee performances are at 2 p.m. Saturday–Sunday. For tickets and information, visit 59e59.org.
