A review by readingisadoingword
Copenhagen by Michael Frayn

challenging dark informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this as part of #12PlaysIn12Months

This was another gem that I would never otherwise have encountered myself.
It centres around Werner Heisenberg's visit to his friend and mentor Niels Bohr in Copenhagen in 1941. With Denmark under Nazi occupation and Heisenberger being German the meeting was necessarily fraught. There is little indisputable evidence of what was discussed but a discussion of the possibility of using atomic energy to manufacture weapons is accepted as the root of the legendary conversation.
This play deals with so many great questions - the reliability of memory, the relationships and competition between scientists, the moral dilemmas encountered in the face of the pursuit of progress, what constitutes active resistance.
The physics concepts of uncertainty and chain reactions are reflected in the human quandries of this story.
This was a fascinating read and really made me interested to learn more about the characters involved....so many ifs!