Can You Hear Me?

A talented cast of actors performs an original commission, the latest in L.A. Theatre Works’s “Relativity Series” of science-themed plays by producer Erikson (Disgraced). The play opens as aging inventor Guglielmo Marconi and his daughter Degna (with stellar performances by André Sogliuzzo and Lucy DeVito) converse about his invention, the wireless telegraph. His responses to her questions elicit memories of his loving mother (superbly performed with an Irish accent by Moira Quirk), his opinionated father (passionately portrayed by Henri Lubatti), and his not-so-helpful brother (capably handled by Kurt Kanazawa) as he shares his dream of improving world communication. He recalls experiments in which he was aided by his brother, his friend Luigi (nimbly voiced by Mark Jude Sullivan), and his assistant George (whose lively British accent Darren Richardson nails). He concludes by describing the wireless telegraph’s role during the sinking of the RMS Titanic as Captain Smith (performed with dignity by Martin Jarvis) orders wireless SOS messages. The inclusion of a Dictaphone recording in the production is effective, but sound effects never overwhelm the dialogue. Curiously, all the Italian characters have American accents.