As tousle-haired, zany, absent-minded genius Albert Einstein, John Hinton greets his enthusiastic audience outside the Holden Street Theatres and invites everyone inside to his lecture on relativity.
It is a beginning that relaxes the audience and establishes the nature of Hinton’s characterisation and style of comedy, lecture and dramatisation.
Einstein’s lecture is interrupted by an announcer introducing him and then, after a little personal history, he begins to explain Einstein’s theory of relativity cleverly, using audience participation.
Hinton’s performance is fun throughout with a sprinkling of commentary about life for Jews under the Nazis. He sings witty, satirical songs rapidly, with the stand-out performance being his E=mc2 rap. Hinton is accompanied, stoically, by Jo Eagle on keyboard as his wives and mother.
After the fun and info, Hinton explores the dilemma Einstein faced when he let others know that his physics theories could be used to make an atom bomb.
Holden Street Theatres are hosting so many shows during the Fringe that they are virtually having their own mini-festival. They provide the perfect venue for a performance such as Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking, which is guaranteed to entertain, amuse and appeal to a wide range of Fringe-goers.
Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking is at Holden Street Theatres until March 16. (Editor’s note: the title of this show is deliberately spelt incorrectly.)
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Click here for all InDaily’s 2014 Adelaide Fringe stories and reviews.
