through August 2, 2014
by Jarice Hanson
The life of a mathematical genius reputed to have had
Asperger’s Syndrome and who became a British war hero for his work on cracking
the Enigma Code to help end WWII is inherently interesting, but not necessarily
theatrical. Add the facts that he was arrested for homosexual “gross indecency”
and prescribed female hormones to “control” his sexuality, and that he has
become known as the “father” of artificial intelligence, and the story becomes
even more compelling, but how could this possibly translate into good theatre?
The answer is in the brilliant, tour-de-force performance of
Mark H. Dold who makes the life of Alan Turing come alive in Barrington Stage
Company’s bold production of the 1986 London hit show, "Breaking the
Code." The title is a double entendre, intended in part to explain the
literal code breaking of cryptography, but it also refers to the “code of
secrecy” that surrounded homosexuality during Turing’s life (1929-1954). Seven
additional actors are all first-rate, but Dold commands the stage and tells the
story of a man who figures out the logic of numbers even though the logic of
human beings eludes him.
Director Joe Calarco keeps the action moving despite an
intentionally spare set, further focusing the audience’s gaze on Dold. Hugh
Witemore’s script is verbose and takes some liberty with historical facts, but
humanizes the man whose childhood friends were numbers, and who gets into
trouble because he “says things he shouldn’t say.”
The production is not perfect, however. The script suffers
from trying to cover too much, and shifts from one time period to another are
somewhat confusing. The performance comes in at 2 hours and 45 minutes
(including intermission) which may stretch the patience of a summer audience,
but for those with curiosity about Turing, or respect for a performance like
Dold’s, "Breaking the Code" will be a memorable experience.
