Alda Plays Feynman in ‘QED’

The scene is Richard Feynman’s office at Caltech on a Saturday in 1986. Phone calls, office visits, and reminiscences weave a brisk, colorful tapestry of Feynman’s life and personality—from the atomic bomb to quarks to picking locks to investigating the Challenger explosion, from playing bongo drums to sketching nudes to Tuva, and from his personal life to the analytical way in which he approached his own cancer.

In “QED,” Alan Alda plays Feynman. His portrayal “is uncanny—he’s definitely got the spirit,” says Tom Rutishauser, who used to drum with Feynman and is coaching Alda. In fact, it was Alda’s fascination with Feynman that got things started, says playwright Peter Parnell. The play was inspired by Feynman’s writings and Ralph Leighton’s book Tuva or Bust!

“QED” premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles on 23 March, and is scheduled to run through 13 May. For more information, see http://www.Taper-Ahmanson.com .