Apple of Isaac’s Eye

Isaac’s Eye – Redtwist Theatre

When you think of Isaac Newton, who do you think of? Maybe you think of him as the inventor of Calculus, or more likely, the person who discovered gravity after that apple fell from a tree and hit him on the head.. But Isaac is a much more complicated man than that… as you’ll see in Redtwist’s performance of Isaac’s Eye by Lucas Hnath and directed by Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary. 

This play gives you a snippet of Sir Isaac Newton’s life–his relationships, his aspirations, his personality, and his ideas. Some is fact, some is fiction, pleasing the history buffs but also adding enough creative liberty to work with. You’re introduced to 4 characters throughout: Isaac before the fame (Joshua Servantez), Isaac’s companion and apothecary owner Catherine (Brooke Reams), the renowned scientist Robert Hooke (Michael Sherwin), and Sam – the actor/narrator as well as being featured as “the dying man” (Jackie Seijo). 

Isaac wants to join the Royal Society in London so he reaches out to Robert Hooke. Hooke, realizing Isaac might potentially be smarter than himself, travels to Isaac to try to prevent him from success. This play follows the clash between Isaac and his Sheldon-from-Big-Bang-Theory personality against Robert Hooke who sees himself as high as royalty. You will have to watch the performance to see who wins the battle, if anyone.

One aspect that was enjoyable about this performance was the strong plot. For a 2 hour performance my attention never strayed. There was no way to know which way the story would go next. The narrator would write down which historical facts were true on the perfectly balanced chalkboard stage (credit to Jonathan Berg-Einhorn), and there were definitely facts that I would have believed to be fiction had it not been for this show. Re-reading the quirky history written on the set was thought-provoking. But along with history there was much comedy. There were witty lines to laugh at, but also uncomfortable scenes with such second hand embarrassment that you couldn’t help but giggle or squirm with the rest of the audience. The actors themselves added humor to their roles. Jackie Seijo in particular added gestures, pauses, and exaggerations that made us all smirk under our masks.  

Overall, I walked out of the theater having learned something new and having laughed, and what more could you ask for. Red-twist/Isaac’s Eye provides an intimate setting and actors who know exactly how to bring a script to life — so keep an eye out for tickets. 

Recommend

Reviewed by Rachel Robbins

Runs from Mar 17 – Apr 24, more info can be found here: https://www.redtwisttheatre.org/isaacs-eye

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.