My favorite audio book so far

I love this production. I'm a sucker for radio plays and plays about science and plays about moral conundrums, and this checks all of those boxes. The performances are lovely and subtle - the awkwardness at the beginning of their meeting is palpable. And I especially appreciate the sound design, the ambient noises and changing "locations" of the voices really give you a sense of people pacing a room or doing things as they're talking, which gives it extra depth and reality.

2 people found this helpful

Performance lacks emotion

Copenhagen is an extreemly difficult play to do. not just because of its dense subject, but because it doesn't follow a narrative structure. There are none of the conventional markers that can signal to an actor when the critical passages and emotional beats are. That is what makes each adaptation interesting, as each actor will play their historical character with slightly different emphasis on different passages.

Unfortunatelly, none of the actors seem to be doing this hear. We know Cumberbatch can play the tortured genius extreemly well, but his enjoyability as an actor comes from his ability to give cerebral characters emotional depth. But here, his performance (along with the other actors) is uniformly at 50%.

If you read the play with a careful understanding of the history behind the events it is disecting, you will see that Frayn has strategically inserted moments of levity and moments of shock to punctuate what would otherwise be historical narration, which gives the play it's emotional core. There are times here when the characters should be laughing with eachother, and times when they should be almost at eachother's throats. But nothing of that emotional level occurs in this performance.

This is even more tragic, as this is the type of play that requires multuple listenings to follos, and an emotionally flat performance is the least enjoyably to listen to over and over. I would not recommend this version of this play.

2 people found this helpful

Gorgeously acted and produced!

Frayn’s Copenhagen is one of the greatest modern plays, even and perhaps especially for those of us who have never taken a physics class. I have seen it performed multiple times, read the script, watched a PBS adaptation for TV, and listened to two different Audible versions. This edition is STUNNING and an absolute must-listen, whether it’s your first exposure to the play or one of many.

1 person found this helpful

Amazing as Radio Drama

Truly exceptional performance by the trio of actors. The adaptation of the script was perfect for the medium. I’ve always been a huge fan of Copenhagen the script. It’s a difficult piece to pull off but when you can it can run you through the gamut of emotions. Simon Russell Beale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Greta Scacchi lead you perfectly on the journey. Bravo.

Here is the power and beauty of Language

Absolutely riveting from start to finish! The characters, the rhythm of the words, the ideas, all held me spell bound.

Excellent production

Wonderful interplay of physics and real life. Actors performed beautifully. A joy to listen to.

intriguing

This play reminds me a lot of Disappearing Numbers and Bent in the way that it manipulates dialogue and stream of consciousness. I don't know a great deal about physics, but I was hooked within the first five minutes. All of the performances are admirable, but I must commend Benedict Cumberbatch in particular for his portrayal of Werner Heisenberg; Cumberbatch's melding of humanity and intellectualism is flawless.

Great Dramatic Interpretation

Top actors and a brilliant script bring to life the roles of scientific egos in a backdrop of atomic research during WWII. Very suspenseful. Loved it. Additional kudos to Frayn for drawing each character equally. How wonderful is Greta Scacchi!

Acting was great, but I didn't love the play

I never quite understood the practice of reviewing a play immediately after finishing it; I think I need some more time to ruminate on this one. I didn't love the play, but it was still solid. The acting is phenomenal, though, particularly in the part of Mr. Cumberbatch. Very engaging, well motivated, and clear. It helped bring the play to life!

A play with science, war and friendship in focus.

Any additional comments?

Copenhagen is about how WWII challenges the relationship and moral certainty of the two scientists at the heart of the story, each one on the opposing sides of the war and with destructive possibility of their work looming over them. The premise of the story is confined to two meetings between the physicists during and after the war. Their choices not only determine the future of their relationship but of entire mankind.

The writer cleverly uses the historical context and the moral dilemmas of the two men's work to heighten the stakes of the story. The writer does not shy away from having his characters discuss physics and math. Even if one does not fully understand their professional language, it helps to establish the intellectual authority of the characters and make them come to life.

The actors do an excellent job. Their performance reflect the intimate setting of the story and their delivery never becomes "theaterly".

The recording sounds as if conducted in the same settings as where the story took place so the acoustics help to make the performance more believable.

Unfortunately the brainy trait of story is not compensated for with something lighter. Not to trivialize the seriousness of their predicament but a few funny moments would have given the piece some high notes. Even in the darkest moments of a man, there is always something we can laugh about.

Overall it's a great play and worth the listen.