A PhD student’s professional and personal life collide with as much force as the particles they are attempting to unearth in this genre-blending production.
Clocking in at just over an hour, there is not a huge amount of time to get acquainted with the mysteries of the physics world, yet Emma Howlett’s script and direction make a good attempt to reveal the intricacies of some of science’s most complex problems with great clarity. While the piece, fresh from a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, revolves around student Sophie’s increasingly frantic relationship with her subject, it also uses ‘five sigma’, as its structure. In the physics world, ‘five sigma’ is the method of ratifying a new discovery with almost complete certainty. In this case of Aether, the ‘norm’ is the male-centric approach to size, while the ‘five sigma’, the new discoveries, are five women gradually erased or ignored in the science world despite their successes, which the play attempts to unveil.
The five stories, including Sophie’s slow descent into mania rapt with an obsession to make a groundbreaking discovery, which erodes her relationship with her girlfriend, are a blend of famous scientific discoveries and more unusual pathways. There’s the tale of ancient Egyptian Hypatia, stoned to death by Christians crying heresy, while Vera Rubin’s discovery of dark matter almost two millennia later is also explored. But there is also a look at Adelaide Herrmann, a bullet-catching magician, and teenage medium Florence Cook, whose contacting of the dead tricked established scientists into believing her unworldly powers. The blend between real and pseudoscience, as well as magic and faith, is all blended here in a piece that is fast-moving, representative of the scientific collisions Sophie is attempting to unveil, but it is a speed that also feels a little too frantic.
Aether boasts a hardworking and effective quartet who tirelessly thread the intricate stories together. Sophie Kean’s portrayal of Sophie works well in gradually exposing the character’s fraught nature, while Gemma Barnett, Anna Marks Pryce and Abby McCann are strong as the ensemble, each leading at least one of the five narratives woven together here. Barnett’s depiction of Hypatia is particularly affecting, especially in the aftermath of the ancient mathematician’s brutal murder, and the sacrifices scientists, especially female scientists, have made to have their voices heard.
Howlett’s piece, much like the varied science explored, attempts its own exploration and experimentation in its blending of genres. The inclusion of absurdist moments, epitomised by sudden breakouts into physical theatre and dance choreography, is intriguing but does not offer much more than a few gags. The inclusion of an overhead projector attempts to put some shadows and titles onto the blue curtain, but the projections are too blurred and are at times difficult to make out, not really adding much to the overall piece.
There are not that many plays about physics and maths, and those that do exist often are recognised as being, much like Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, for some inaccessible. Aether does attempt to resist this, but it cannot help but fall into long-winded conversations about physics theory, which can leave you a little lost. There are novel attempts to immerse and include the audience, but these feel a little tokenistic, and much like the atom-splitting, is ‘blink and you will miss it’ in its impact.
That said, there is plenty of charm in this short but impactful production. Boosted by its cast’s energy, Aether is clear in its focus. Sophie’s attempts to unveil a discovery might not be revealed, but the unveiling of women erased by the male-dominated science world is a refreshing take and one that, even in this briefest of plays, is an eye-opening find.
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub: https://www.thereviewshub.com/aether-jermyn-street-theatre-london/
