Just saw The Farnsworth Invention
This was a fun show. Like watching a live Nova program on stage. And that’s not a knock. The common criticism of the play is that it’s lacking drama. Granted, it may not be Hamlet, but I found that the scenes resonated with more than just information. Hank Azaria and Jimmi Simpson are reason enough to go and see this.
Especially the relatively unknown Jimmi - the guy was just dynamite. He’s hilarious in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and goes well beyond that in the play. The man got range. He loaded Philo Farnsworth with so many organic character traits and funny quirks - it just worked with Sorkin’s dialog. Hank too is in great form. I’m happy to see that he’s found a home on Broadway.
I had one of those experiences that make you want to go out and learn more about what you don’t know… and that’s about %80 of this play. Despite the high overhead, it’s still incredibly engaging. Farnsworth and David Sarnoff are both fascinating characters with so much history left to unearth. This is a good place to start.
