who recently starred on Broadway in
parent, but the Danish Resistance
Neil Simon's The Dinner Party, plays
helped him escape by fishing boat to
Bohr, and Hank Stratton, who most
Sweden in 1943.
recently toured the country in Cabaret,
He came to the United States secretly
is cast as Heisenberg. Emmy Award-
in 1944 to work on the Manhattan
project, on A-bomb development, under
winning actress Mariette Hartley plays
an assumed name. That project was
Bohr's wife.
conducted mainly by Jewish scientists,
The director is Michael Blakemore,
who made history when he won a Tony
part of a group known as the
"Hungarian Cheder" (Hebrew school).
for directing a play (Copenhagen) the
After the 1941 meeting with
same year he got a Tony for directing a
musical (the revival of Kiss Me Kate).
Heisenberg, Bohr got the word to
Albert Einstein — through Jewish
Author Frayn, a 68-year-old
Englishman, is somewhat surprised at
Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard — to
speed up the American atomic bomb
the theatrical success of Copenhagen as
project because the Germans were work-
well as its post-Sept. 11 resonances.
ing on the bomb.
One of Heisenberg's speeches in the
The consensus among physicists is
play is about how none of the people
that Germany's atomic bomb project
working on the Allied bomb had ever
failed because it was sci-
had the experience of
entifically bungled and
being bombed. "And now
financially under-funded.
America has experienced
"They just didn't have
what was, in effect, a
enough uranium,"
bombing," said Frayn.
Schwartz declared. "They
"You never know how
underestimated their
audiences are going to take
resources."
things."
Historians agree there
Copenhagen even has a
was miscommunication"
resident historian: Brian
at the famous 1941 meet-
Schwartz, 63, a Jewish
ing and nothing to indi-
physics professor and vice
cate Heisenberg was
president of research at
"looking for a deal" on
City University of New
Physicist Neils Bohr
the joint ending of the
York's Graduate Center.
developed a strong kinship
He got involved after suc-
with his fellow Jews when bomb projects, or that
Bohr "misunderstood"
cessfully operating a New
he realized their plight
him.
York physics festival in
under Nazi occupation.
With Germany doing
1999, and now helps pro-
well in the war in 1941,
mote Copenhagen, assisting
it appears as if
with the traveling sympo-
Heisenberg was proclaiming confidence
siums on the play's seven-city tour.
in an ultimate German victory, and
"Our objective was to revive the con-
bragging to his old teacher about great
cept of science, history and the theater,
progress in the German atomic bomb
and we've accomplished that through
program.
Copenhagen," he said.
At each performance, Fisher Theatre
audiences get a chance to make their
Bohr's Background
own decision on the nuances of the
Bohr's mother was Jewish, a member of
meeting.
a prominent family in Denmark, while
Bohr died at 77 in 1962. Heisenberg,
his Christian father was a famous
imprisoned by the Allies for six months,
Danish physician. An expert in quan-
was later released to return to Germany.
tum physics, Bohr was known as the
He died at 75 in 1976. ❑
"Pope of Physics" at the height of his
popularity.
Performances of Copenhagen
"He grew up in an atmosphere most
are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays,
favorable to the development of a
7:30 p.m. Sundays and 2 p.m.
genius," Schwartz said of Bohr, a
Saturdays and Sundays, April
nonobservant Jew. "When you were
2-21, at the Fisher Theatre.
born into the upper class in those coun-
$20-$47.50. A limited number
tries, you didn't go around telling people
of
onstage seats for Copenhagen,
you were Jewish."
at
$16,
are available at the
But Bohr developed a strong kinship
Fisher
box
office, (313)
with his fellow Jews when he realized
872-1000.
Other
tickets also
their plight under Nazi occupation dur-
available
through
Ticketmaster,
ing the war. The Nazis tried to arrest
(248)
645-6666.
"
Bohr when they learned he had a Jewish
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