A lot of research and thought has clearly gone into “Trumpery,” the new play by Peter Parnell (“The Cider House Rules”) about the personal and career travails of Charles Darwin.
This earnest effort about the scientist whose earth-shaking theories of evolution and natural selection forever changed the way we view the world never quite lives up to the dramatic potential of its subject matter, but it does offer a thoughtful mini history lesson.
Michael Cristofer, an actor and Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (“The Shadow Box”), delivers a persuasive portrayal of the troubled scientist.
The first act is set in 1858, when Darwin’s hand is forced by Alfred Wallace (Manoel Felciano), another scientist who came up with many of the same ideas.
Parnell depicts a deeply conflicted Darwin, anguished over the religious implications of his theories and devastated by the illness and subsequent death of his young daughter.
Act 2, set three years later, is mainly about Darwin finding an inner peace of sorts as a result of a long-awaited meeting with Wallace, who had since become his collaborator.
Unlike Tom Stoppard, Parnell can’t quite humanize historical figures in entertainingly dramatic terms, and his narrative, leavened with much philosophic and scientific chatter, is hardly compelling. But “Trumpery” commands respect, if only for the intelligence and focus with which it handles its daunting themes.
Helping matters considerably in director David Esbjornson’s assured production are the excellent performances, including sterling supporting turns by such reliable veterans as Michael Countryman and Peter Maloney, Santo Loquasto’s precisely rendered set and Jane Greenwood’s costumes.
TRUMPERYAtlantic Theater Company, 336 W. 20th St.; (212) 279-4200. Through Sunday.