“The Axiom of Choice was an entirely
enjoyable evening of theatre and something a little bit different.”
“Did you assert your free will in your decision to come to our play?” The question that follows audience members throughout the play and even greets them as the opening sentence of the programme.
Written by Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, The Axiom of Choice is at first glance an unusual production, following the story of Professor of Mathematics at the University of Strasbourg, Andre Weil. However the surprising take away was that despite the topic, the audience felt lightened and a number of laughs were had throughout.
Waiting for the play to begin, the audience were greeted with a steady ticking noise paired with pressure inducing music. This goes on to form almost an additional character in the production with sound playing a key role in the staging. The stage is a blank canvas with only an octagon in the centre and a selection of other mathematical shapes scattered around.
When the actors appear, they are all dressed similarly and with very natural hair and make-up , this is for a reason as each of the four actors play the role of Nicolas Bourbaki, the fictional character conceived by Andre Weil and a group of fellow Mathematicians. You follow the four Bourbaki’s as they explain how everything comes from zero and through this we learn, do we have a choice or are we all just following our path or ‘Dharma’, such as the one Weil faced when war came knocking on France’s borders.
Shipra Jain, Clive Mendus, Joseph Prowen and TJ Sulaiman, are four actors that come together and put on an impressive performance, I’d struggle myself to remember lines relating to the Riemann Hypothesis but apart from a few opening night jumbles, they pulled it off with ease. The stand out performance for me had to be Joseph Prowen, who took on the additional role of Andre Weil, bringing out a vastly different characterization to his portrayal of his Bourbaki.
The highlight for me was the combination of lighting and sound. With a minimal set, lighting and sound had to work extra hard to help move you from Rouen prison, to India, to a cafe in France. With the music from the start of the play featuring every time the Bourbaki’s were talking, allowed for more ambient sounds to set the other scenes, for example the use of warm orange lighting and the sounds of crickets, help bring audience members to the streets of India, or bright lights and the sounds of a bustling surround, we were transported to a busy cafe in France. This was especially prevalent further in the production when Weil finds himself in prison and it’s silent except for the sounds of his vocal cellmate.
My only critique was that sometimes the movement, which was interspersed throughout, went on for a touch too long and I started to lose track of what was actually being portrayed, particularly a piece after Weil was in India.
Apart from that, as a complete dunce when it comes to anything Mathematical, it was an entirely enjoyable evening of theatre and something a little bit different. The buzz of the audience as they left the Oxford Playhouse seemed to agree.