Uncovering a genius: 'Einstein: A Stage Portrait' focuses on the physicist's private life

Aug. 8—There was more to Albert Einstein than his intellect.

"Einstein: A Stage Portrait," by Willard Sims, explores the lesser-known personal side of the genius. Los Alamos native and formally-trained actor, Thomas Schuch, steps into the role of Einstein in the one-person show at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the Jewish Community Center, 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE.

"I've been performing it since November of 2001, and I've taken it all over the United States and Canada and India," Schuch said. "This upcoming performance, I've been performing at the JCC probably, I think, it's eight years ago now."

Schuch said the show is about the human side of Einstein.

"The premise of the show is he invites the audience to his house to set the record straight about all the things that have been written about him and said about him over the years," Schuch explained. "What most people don't know about him is the family side of Einstein. He did have two wives, two kids. He loved to play the violin since the age of four. He played it his whole life."

The performance delves into Einstein's lesser known aspects of his life.

"We learn a lot about his views about the world, about the atomic bomb, about science in general and so forth," Schuch said. "The show is dramatic and it's comedic. He had a great sense of humor and that comes through and shows us his feelings in certain areas where things get a little dramatic. We learn about this very diverse human being."

Schuch said he was drawn to the role while looking for an acting job to fill the gap between gigs.

"I was looking for something that I could do in between things, and I had done theater my whole life," he explained. "I found this show in a publication out of LA about three people that write one-person shows. And so this particular show looked really interesting to me. I tracked down the playwright, Willard Sims, and got the script and then read the script and thought, 'Oh, yeah, I'd like to do this.' "

Schuch knew that the role would be a "tremendous challenge" but also knew it would be "great fun" to do as well.

"It appeals to audiences of all ages, people that are interested in history, interested in Einstein, interested in science and music too," Schuch said. "And so for me, it was a great challenge. And I've really just loved, love doing it."

Schuch decided to go all in when it came to transforming into Einstein.

"I knew that I don't look like Einstein," he said. "I knew from the beginning that when I walked on stage, people had to feel that they were in the presence of Einstein. So I commissioned a wig from the wigmaker at the Santa Fe Opera to build me a wig and a mustache, and she also designed my stage makeup. And then I did a lot of research in terms of costume and what Einstein was like physically, how he walked, what he did when he was in a room full of people. So for me as an actor, it was a great challenge and really interesting project to delve into and find out who he really was."

Following the JCC performance, Schuch will open the floor for questions about Einstein. He will be joined by Jack Shlachter, a nuclear physicist and rabbi, based in Los Alamos.

"I come out after the curtain call, people stay in their seats and I answer questions not as Einstein, but as (myself) because they just want to know more," Schuch said. "Whenever I can, I book a physicist to sit with me on stage because there's always going to be a scientist or two in the audience and I'm not a scientist. So that person is there to answer the science questions and I answer the Einstein human being questions. It's a lot of fun."