From the beginning, humanity placed itself at the center of the universe, which made it feel safe, loved and special. When the Scientific Revolution began to question the ideals of ancient astronomy and Church dogma, it fueled a fire that would burn both the Church and her detractors. The Department of Film, Television and Theatre's spring production of Bertolt Brecht's "The Life of Galileo" examines the spark that ignited the fires of change.

"The Life of Galileo" follows the life of Galileo Galilei, the 16th century astronomer who is credited with confirming Copernicus' heliocentric model of the universe. The show details progression of Galileo's incorrectly credited discovery of the telescope and his discovery of four of Jupiter's moons and the rings of Saturn. The discovery would eclipse the long-held belief in Aristotelian cosmology and the Ptolemaic geocentric understanding of the universe.

The title of the show may be slightly misleading. Brecht's play is not, in fact, a biography of Galileo at all, but an anachronistic look at the conflicts between dogma and the scientific method using the story of Galileo as a starting point. A number of blatant historical inaccuracies exist in the script and both the positions of Galileo and the Church are very much exaggerated.

Where the bulk of Galileo's correspondence was done in cleverly crafted and subtly argued letters, Brecht places the astronomer face to face with adversarial cardinals and monks. Brecht also includes Virginia, Galileo's daughter, in the whole of Galileo's life, when, in fact, she entered a monastery at the age of 13 and only corresponded with her father through writing. Furthermore, Virginia is written as a weak character, whereas the real Virginia was strong and witty.

Brecht's writing is somewhat inaccessible without a clear understanding of what he was trying to comment on. For example, "The Life of Galileo" is an affront to more than just the Church. Brecht was also commenting on the trends toward Nazism and Fascism in the 20th century. Ironically, Brecht was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 to answer charges that his plays were Marxist propaganda – which, to an extent, they were. The famous recording of Brecht's evasive answers to the questions of McCarthy and HUAC are played during intermission of the FTT show.

Brecht used a technique he called "Verfremdungseffekt" to remind the audience that they were watching a play. This "alienation effect," as it is called in English, was a rejection of the Aristotelian dramatic premise that the audience should believe that the events they are watching are unfolding in time before their eyes. In keeping with Marxism, Brecht wanted his plays to appeal to his audience's reason rather than having the audience identify with the characters. He accomplished this by using overly philosophic or exaggeratedly straightforward lines and stage settings that didn't appeal aesthetically.

Assistant Visiting Professor and director Holger Teschke attempts to incorporate many of these ideals into the show. The show is intelligently put together and Teschke has his actors break many habits and conventions they have learned.

"I've definitely learned to be more open-minded to different styles in taking direction and acting," Kertez said.

Tony Lawton is phenomenal as Galileo. His dynamism charges the rest of the cast, and he is able to make sometimes dry scientific explanations interesting to watch. Lawton portrays the astronomer with so much vigor that it almost appears as if he's about to spontaneously combust at any moment. Lawton, a visiting assistant professor who has acted professionally, certainly brings the cast up to his level, especially sophomore Katy Kertez, with whom he has a notable chemistry.

"It was an amazing gift to work with him. He gave me so much," Kertez said.

Kertez, who has played predominantly masculine and male parts at Notre Dame, stands out with her extremely moving portrayal of Virginia as a strong feminine foil for Galileo. Kertez does a lot with her part and convincingly conveys her character mostly through subtle body positions, facial expressions and her captivating vocal quality.

Aesthetically, the show is a knock-out. The lavish costumes and set, both designed by FTT Professional Specialist Richard Donnelly, are extremely impressive. This is especially evident in the Italian Carnival scene in which the cast trades their period character garb for Kafkaesque costumes. The surreal costumes also function to elaborate on the underlying conflict in the play. The richness of the costumes is enhanced by Associate Chair of FTT Bruce Auerbach's well-crafted lighting design with vivid, saturated colors, which create a pleasing contrast.

"Because there are all these prejudices on Brecht … we tried to focus on the Italian aspect and make it cheerful and light-hearted," Teschke said.

"The Life of Galileo" is part of the Galileo Conference that is happening on campus this week. After every performance there is a talk-back session at which the cast and a speaker will answer questions from the audience. Teschke feels that the Catholic atmosphere at Notre Dame made the play worth producing.

"To be honest, I would not have been interesting to do it at a place that didn't have the [Catholic] background to do it. … I was very surprised how open and interested everybody was," Teschke said.

Teschke's vision for the show unabashedly embraces the anachronisms in the show, the director added and subtracted material to manipulate the message.

While this production of "The Life of Galileo" embraces the anachronistic nature of its script, it goes much too far. To begin with, the show is given a framing prologue and epilogue. The story is told from the feverish dream of the historical Virginia in her convent. While this goes to reinforce the idea that Virginia is not a weak character it gives the play a rocky beginning and ending. It is obvious where Brecht begins and FTT ends. The framing of the play spoils part of Brecht's message; it is irrelevant if FTT agrees with the portrayal of Virginia as weak, or not.

And while Lawton shines as Galileo, it is a bit disappointing not to see a student in the lead role. Lawton is a wonderful choice for the cast, and he assumes a leadership role. Though this may be a wonderful opportunity to learn from an experienced actor for the cast, to the audience it appears to be a crutch.

The production has a number of other dubious choices. The idea of pop music such as R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It" during scene changes is laughable. The show has a gorgeous production value and a somber dramatic tone and yet as the scene changes the audience's ears are violated with bubble gum pop music. This idea even fails as "Verfremdungseffekt;" the FTT show is too highly produced to even consider rejecting the ideal of portraying reality on stage.

Also added are an opera singer and a dancing nun. While both perform their parts quite beautifully, their addition to the show is also quite pointless. These additions pull the plays foundations down into a bit of an incoherency. Furthermore, the additions add time to the almost three-hour show.

The production also has a few poor choices in subtraction. Teschke, admittedly promoting an apologist attitude for the Church, change a few key lines relating Galileo and Virginia's relationship with religion causing Galileo to appear a good, albeit misunderstood, Catholic in the show. Whether this issue is historically ambiguous, Brecht's script certainly does not lend itself to this reading.

While Brecht wanted his audiences to leave thinking, the audience of this production will leave wondering what the hell FTT was thinking.

"The Life of Galileo" is currently running at Washington Hall. Performances are tonight through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. General admission is $10, $9 for senior citizens and $7 for students. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at the LaFortune Student Center Box Office. To order tickets call (574) 631-8128.

Contact C. Spencer Beggs at beggs.3@nd.edu.

• The Life of Galileo