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Doug Hamilton From left, Jack Tartaglia, Michael Cristofer, Bianca Amato, and Timothy Deenian in Peter Parnell’s “Trumpery,” now at the Atlantic’s Linda Gross Theater. TRUMPERY The battle between science and superstition By Scott Harrah Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of a Species,” written in the 1800s, is still one of most controversial books of all time because the scientist’s Theory of Evolution goes against Judeo-Christian beliefs in “creationism” and the notion that humanity began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. When the book was originally written in Victorian-era England, Darwin received unprecedented criticism and claims of blasphemy from virtually all religions in the world, but it is his family — and the harrowing grief and social ostracism they experienced at the time — that form the basis of “Trumpery,” a fascinating bio-drama about the British icon of biology. Playwright Peter Parnell, best known for his stage adaptation of John Irving’s “The Cider House Rules,” depicts a thought-provoking tale of Darwin’s many struggles. It is 1858 and Darwin (Michael Cristofer) is back in England at his estate, Down House. He is fretting about an unknown explorer named Alfred Wallace (Manoel Feliciano, nominated for a Tony in 2006 for “Sweeney Todd”) who is about to claim credit for Darwin’s own Theory of Natural Selection. Meanwhile, Darwin also must deal with his dying young daughter Annie (Paris Rose Yates) and his loss of faith and the friction this causes between himself and his wife, Emma (Bianca Amato), a God-fearing Christian who also believes in the supernatural and psychic mediums. Parnell’s dialogue is elegant and explores many truths about science and religion that still have relevance today. According to the playwright’s notes, some of the scenes in the play are not totally based on fact, and the story takes some liberties for dramatic purposes. Many of the scenes involve Darwin interacting with fellow scientists Huxley (Neil Huff) and Hooker (Michael Countryman), but in reality Darwin mostly corresponded with them through letters, although all visited with Darwin at one point in time to discuss science or for social occasions. The majority of the play is first-rate, thanks to David Esbjornson’s tight direction and the outstanding performances. The only major flaw is a rather implausible scene shortly after young Annie’s death. Emma brings in a psychic medium, Williams (Peter Maloney), for a séance to conjure up the spirit of Annie, and Darwin reluctantly agrees to participate. When the medium “contacts” the dead girl, she appears briefly as a ghost, and this scene — although well executed with nice special effects, lights, and shadows — seems like something that belongs in a horror film, not a biographical drama about Charles Darwin, a man who challenged traditional foundations of religion and superstition. The playwright’s notes in the Playbill state that Darwin did indeed attend a séance at one point, but never at Down House, and it’s not mentioned whether he ever tried to “contact” Annie this way. Despite this incongruous scene, there are others that make up for it, most notably the meeting between Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Because they both came up with the Theory of Natural Selection (also known as “Survival of the Fittest”) around the same time — Wallace sent Darwin drafts of an essay on the theory that nature selects the strongest species, and animals adapt to their environments — Darwin insisted that they both share credit. Wallace argues that who came up with the theory first is irrelevant in the long run. It is more important that society have the published theory for its own intellectual enrichment and education. In this particular scene, the performances are extraordinary, and the dialogue the most powerful. The acting in “Trumpery” is consistently high caliber, and the performances always seem natural in what could have easily been another stuffy English costume drama were it not for such great actors, lucid writing, and director Michael Esbjornson (who recently directed the Tony-winning Edward Albee drama “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”). Michael Cristofer as Darwin, and Bianca Amato as wife Emma, are both especially good. Amato portrays Emma as a woman torn between loving her husband and supporting his research, and staying true to her own spiritual beliefs. Best of all, Peter Parnell’s script is a trenchant look at Darwin and how the theories he published raise important ethical and spiritual questions about science, in the 19th century and today.
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