You probably haven't heard of Alan Turing. His name has not made it into the bastion of scientific household names such as Newton or Einstein. Never mind the fact that his genius was of equal stature to these great men. Never mind the fact that he conceived modern computers and artificial intelligence in the 1930s. Never mind the fact that without him the Allies may very well have lost the Second World War. All these great feats were buried by the British Establishment for the fact that he was a homosexual.
The play 'Breaking the Code' (1986) by Hugh Whitemore is a stunningly poignant portrayal of the personal and professional life of Alan Turing. Based on the critically acclaimed biography (1983) by Andrew Hodges, the play seamlessly manages to combine historical accuracy with drama, humour and even lofty mathematical thinking.
In the centenary year of Turing's birth, the English Theatre in Frankfurt am Main is staging a magnificent production of the piece running until 27 October.
The panache and charisma with which Stephen Fewell plays Turing infuses the whole play with bittersweet emotion. Whether portraying the schoolboy who is embarrassed by his mollycoddling mother, the professor giving a talk at his old school, or the man pursuing relations with other men, Fewell performs the character with charm and loveability. Given that he never leaves the sparse stage-set, his acting energy and stamina are crucial to the overall success of the two-hour play.
The plot jumps back and forth in time and gives the pulsating drama only more interest and intensity. In the beginning we see Turing reporting a minor burglary to police inspector Ross. With no apparent irony, Turing says that he believes the burglar is a man called 'George'. During his account, his terrible nervous tic-like stammer startles the dependable policemen who smells something fishy and starts to dig a little deeper into the case.
Later we see Turing being interviewed by the head of Bletchley Park's codebreaking unit. Dillwyn Knox is unable to follow all of Turing's avant garde thinking - he is obsessed by the question of whether a mind can exist without a body - but Knox recognizes his brilliance and hires him to help break the Nazi's impenetrable Enigma Code.
However, most of the play's action takes place around 1952 long after Turing's monumental wartime achievement. He is working at Manchester University and picking up men in the local pub on the side. When he reports the burglary to the police, he unleashes a tragic chain of events which expose the immense cruelty and hypocrisy of a society which punishes homosexuality as a crime.
As a man of great principle, Turing could no more live a lie than accept a mathematical theory he had proved to be false. When necessary, he would stammeringly admit to being a homosexual - first to a brilliant female scientist at Bletchley who declares her love for him and later, before the trial, even to his mother. Unlike other homosexuals at the time who married and had children to keep up appearances, Turing was true to himself and defied social convention.
Whilst some will see Turing as naive, this performance renders him courageous in his pursuit of truth at all costs. One thing is sure: after seeing 'Breaking the Code' the name of Alan Turing will stay with you for a very long time indeed.
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