'Isaac's Eye' Blurs Historical Truth And Fiction

By Melody Udell in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 19, 2014 3:00PM

In Writers Theatre’s production of Isaac’s Eye, playwright Lucas Hnath reimagines famed British scientist Isaac Newton (Jurgen Hooper) and his now lesser-known academic rival, Robert Hooke (Marc Grapey) with a partly fictional, partly historical lens. The actors, breaking any pretense of a fourth wall, help the audience understand the truthful elements of the play by writing all of the historical facts on a chalkboard backdrop. But this unusual, albeit intriguing, literary device seems to warrant more time documenting the truth than telling a cohesive story, fictional or otherwise.

Among the various chalkboard facts with which Hnath constructs his premise: at age 19, Newton threatened to burn down his parents’ house. His hair turned white in his early 20s. And most shocking of all, he did, in fact, try to prove that light is made up of particles by sticking a needle in his own tear duct. Also a fact: Hooke, who had been serving as the director of experiments at the prestigious Royal Society when Newton was just 25 years old and desperate to join their ranks, made several breakthroughs in the scientific community, including discovering the law of elasticity early theories on combustion. But it’s the fictional elements, including an unsatisfying love triangle between the two rival scientists and an apothecary named Catherine Storer (Elizabeth Ledo), that leads Hnath’s play through an a linear jumble of themes and manufactured tension.

The three actors, joined by a fourth, LaShawn Banks, who serves as the show’s narrator, speak in contemporary language and don’t even bother with British accents. Their costumes, confusingly, seem to reflect modern day apparel with a nod to 17th century England: Hooke in a trench coat, Newton in a presumably H&M T-shirt, and a stockings-clad Catherine in a drab sheath dress and apron. Isaac’s Eye doesn’t seem concerned with consistency. But such is Hynath’s style—an ultra-hip, “what-if” tone that doesn’t yearn to be taken too seriously. Even Newton himself gives off a little oddball humor, emitting a wavering little “yay” after things go his way.

Catherine is the only character with a true emotional stake. Having been a faithful friend of Newton’s over the years, she wants nothing more than to marry him, have kids and settle into domestic life, whether they’re living in their rural English town of Woolsthrope or packing up for London so Newton can pursue entrance into the Royal Society. But Newton, whose scientific brilliance can’t compensate for his inability to forge selfless, meaningful relationships, is more concerned with going head-to-head with Hooke. Hooke is clearly scared that Newton will eclipse him, and he channels that fear into his brash, overconfident persona. We get a deeper but too-brief glimpse into his character during one of the more philosophical moments of the play: Hooke, having been dragged into a blackmail scheme with Newton, admits regret that he has devoted his life “to the life lived then and not now.”

That little admission didn’t make it to the chalkboard. Neither did the blackmail. In fact, Hooke and Newton didn’t actually encounter each other until much later, when both of them had already been established into the Royal Society. To feed the dramatic narrative, though, Hnath chose to speed up their meeting and subsequent rivalry for the sake of a compelling storyline.

Ultimately, Isaac’s Eye’s is a quirky, 70-minute stage experiment to help the audience see history a little bit differently—even if that vision comes off a little blurry.

The show runs through Sunday, Dec. 7 at Writers Theatre at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe, 847-242-6000 or online.