Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (10)
See it if An outstanding play, in every aspect, abt Emilie & her 2 grt passions:Voltaire & physics.The intellectual theme blew me away:it conveys *
Don't see it if If unfamiliar, searching abt this 18th cent scientific genius Emilie du Chatelet would be helpful. Read more
See it if you like a history story about a woman who love science and denounces society rules for her.
Don't see it if you don't like period performances.
See it if you would exposure to a woman genius in physics and mathematics of the 18th century you likely do not know, here looking back on her life.
Don't see it if you expect zipping through her life story of work and love to feel fast as the story is slow.
See it if Her post-death re-telling of her live via her lovers and science in a particularly patriarchal time. Great education of her life and work.
Don't see it if Current portrayals of female historic figures, some rushed parts, some confusing parts aren't your thing. 2 hours; 1 intermission. Read more
See it if About a woman Emilie who love physics and change Laws of Physics. Plus her love life. She is not well know.
Don't see it if Two hours long and at time is slow.
See it if you enjoy history, mathematics, women's contributions & voltaire
Don't see it if you don't want to think
See it if into fast-forwarding through the life of an accomplished woman; an interesting mixture of biography, science, and a bedroom romp.
Don't see it if I appreciate the intelligence and the lovely leads, but the zipping through failed to grab me.
See it if you enjoy plays that engage with historical figures or academic topics but are still accessible and not overly bogged down by jargon
Don't see it if you want to be immersed in the story, not preoccupied with 4th wall breaking, short/choppy scenes, & some jarringly different acting styles
Critic Reviews (5)
“Such an accomplished woman hardly needs defending, but defining a life is another matter.”
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Gunderson uses two actors to play Emilie and writer Voltaire who was her mentor, companion and lover, and then three actors to play everyone else, from Emilie’s mother, husband and daughter, to servants and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton and poet Jean-Francois de Saint-Lambert. As they do not change their costumes, we are never entirely certain who they are when they reappear. Throughout the play Emilie is working on the physics formula F=mv2 (known as force vive) which she attributes to German mathematician and thinker Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Unfortunately, this math will be foreign to most theatergoers who have not studied physics.
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“The talent in the show is top tier, every single one of the five players. The set is very elegant and multi-functional at the same time...Make no mistake, it’s heady stuff. I highly recommend it.”
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“Under the direction of Kathy Gail MacGowan, the fully committed cast does what they can to enliven a script that often falls flat--making naughty faces and pulling silly hijinks behind the scenes...Though the costumes are dazzling, the set lovely, and the actors sincerely trying, the production falls flat.”
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This long-lasting union of hearts and minds and the marquise’s achievements could make a gripping and emotional story on stage. But the production, while decked out in period frippery, fails to excite.
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