Ottawa Fringe 2014. Einstein…

The Story:  What do most of us know about Albert Einstein other than that he had crazy hair and dreamed up some incomprehensible stuff about relativity? Deciding that we need to know more, Jack Fry created his one-man show about Einstein’s personal life and valiant struggle to prove that his calculation about energy and mass was accurate. Too bad Fry gets so badly sidetracked in the execution of what started as a good idea.

Pros:   Fry does manage to explain, in simple terms and with the help of projections on a large screen, the theory of relativity.

Cons:   They’re manifold, from silly sex jokes to Fry’s failed, over-the-top attempt to play with anything approaching conviction his main character let alone the host of others – from fellow scientists to Einstein’s alienated son Hans – whom he introduces. The show is too long, self-regarding and unnecessary.

Verdict :  An overwrought, sophomoric look at human complexity.

Einstein!

Jack Fry, Los Angeles, Calif.

Studio Leonard-Beaulne