Overview
Synopsis
A nurse has been murdered at Les Cerisiers, a private sanitarium run by the world-renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Mathilde von Zahnd. This is the second nurse killed in three months, and both have been murdered by residents of the physicist ward. There is Herbert George Beutler, who believes himself to be Sir Isaac Newton; Ernst Heinrich Ernesti, who believes himself to be Albert Einstein; and Johann Wilhelm Möbius, who believes himself to be visited by the Biblical King Solomon. All three physicists have lost their minds--or is it perhaps the modern world that has lost its mind instead? Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Physicists is one of his most popular and enduring works, examining the responsibility of science in a post-WWII, WMD-armed world.
Show Information
- Book
- Friedrich Dürrenmatt
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1961
- Genres
- Drama, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- Les Cerisiers, a private sanitorium, Late 1950s
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Late Teen, Early Teen Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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