Breaking The Code
(1997-98 Season)

Directed by Hughston Walkinshaw
Writtten by Hugh Whitemore

(see review below)

This engrossing biographical drama tells the story of Alan Turing, the British mathematician who won praise from Winston Churchill for cracking the German code called Enigma during World War II. An "elegant and poignant" tale of "a sensitive genius whose homosexuality leads to his crucifixion by the hypocritical establishment," the play casts "a stirring hero at center stage" (Frank Rich, The New York Times).

Despite all he had done for his country, Mr. Turing's life ends tragically when he admits his homosexuality to the police while reporting a routine burglary and they are duty-bound to prosecute him. A heartbreaking account of an honorable character led to his doom by a bigoted era.

Review
Breaking the Code Receives Rave Reviews From World Herald... by Bob Fischbach:

"A bench. A table. Two chairs. Eight rectangular flats. Eight excellent actors.

'Breaking the Code,' the latest in a line of quality shows staged by David Catalan's SNAP Productions, is proof positive that compelling theater can be simply produced--and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

That is entirely appropriate in a fact-based show about British mathematician Alan Turing, who broke the Germans' secret code during World War II and who is regarded as the father of the modern computer. Turing was gay. When he reported a burglary at his home after the war, police asked questions that led to his admitting to homosexual acts, and he was prosecuted. Though a hero to Winston Churchill, Turing killed himself after public disclosure affected his personal and professional lives.

Hugh Whitemore's play, which starred Derek Jacobi in a 1988 New York version, is based on the book "Alan Turing: The Enigma" by Andrew Hodges.

Enigma, indeed, that a man so brilliant could be undone by his own andor. The play depicts a Turing who postulated not only on mathematical codes but on a code for living in society as a homosexual. The script links his fascination with creating a machine that could think to his idea--that a mind might exist apart from the body.

All this theorizing, of course, does not lead to an action-packed show. At 2 1/2 hours including intermission, it has a talky, slow start--and long soliloquies by Turing can be taxing at times. But its wallop comes from the depiction of Turing's relationships with his mother, a woman mathematician who loved him, a schoolboy he had a crush on and a man he had an affair with.

Bill Hutson, a Creighton University theater professor, turns in an underplayed and polished performance as Turing, humanizing the genius with tics like nail-biting and stuttering. His emotions ring true even when his blocking, in rare instances, seems forced. Sara Flores, as Turing's mother, shows range and sublety in depicting a woman we first think is a bit ditzy but who shows her mettle when her son is in trouble. She and Hutson have an especially moving scene in which he tells her he is gay and facing charges. As Turing's lover, David Mainelli confidently walks a tightrope of emotions as a petty thief with a rough exterior, yet vulnerable just beneath the surface. Thomas Lowe, as the boyhood friend, exudes youthful charm and a natural stage presence.

Perhaps most impressive is Mary Theresa Green, who in three brief scenes creates a woman the audience warms to. When she tells Turing she loves him, and learns he can't return the love, the emotions that play across her face are devastatingly real and moving.

Norm Filbert, co-founder of the Bluffs' Chanticleer Theatre, plays an elder work colleague of Turing who tries to warn him to be discreet. It is difficult to tell where the character's befuddlement ends and minor line troubles begin, but Filbert is great comic relief--and the audience was charmed by his absent-minded prof.

Stephen Tipton is smooth in a thankless part--the police interrogator--and Bill Henjum is equally good in a smaller role as his supervisor.

Director Hughston Walkinshaw, who is artistic director of the Blue Barn, lets his talented cast shine by simplyfying the staging and focusing on the script's emotions and ideas."

It is rare that a reviewer has something enlightening and insightful to say about each of the cast members and director. If any of you know Bob Fischbach, I encourage you to personally acknowledge this fine review.