The Rocket Men, a new play now running at Oregon Contemporary Theatre, is truly a work in progress.
Crystal Skillman’s drama about the invention of rockets designated for space travel after World War II was commissioned by two Alabama universities and performed at the Alabama Center for the Arts. It had additional development at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis. Then it was selected for a prestigious National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by four companies, including OCT as the third production.
All of these developmental stages prove how difficult it is to create an original play that will entertain, inform and even enlighten a wide audience. So yes, The Rocket Men is a work in progress that will continue to evolve. With luck, the long, slow first act will be shortened.
The subject is intriguing. After the war ended, the famous Nazi aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun and approximately 1,600 other German scientists and engineers were invited to settle in the U.S. and work for the government. Many of them eventually gained U.S. citizenship.
Von Braun and his small team of outstanding scientists were headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. According to the play, they were pleased with the lifestyle of the South. Skillman has said that the events depicted in the play are true, but the dialogue is invented.
The action takes place in the team’s office building, with an inner office on a higher level for von Braun. Projections on a large screen show photos and newsreels that take us through time, but it would be helpful to show more dates. The set and projections are by Andrew Hungerford.
Now, to give you something to ponder, the characters are males, but they’re played by women wearing men’s suits. Why? I’m not supposed to tell you. You’ll learn more at the end of the play.
What I can say at this point is that the characters don’t seem very manly. These are experienced performers, but some seem to be caricatures and others are like working women worrying about neglecting their children.
The OCT production is directed by Inga Wilson, with Erica Towe as assistant director/dramaturg. If ever a play needed a dramaturg, it’s this one. Probably von Braun is the only character whose name most of us will recognize among the seven characters.
Katie Worley Beck as von Braun somehow makes herself look like him with her proud carriage and clear sense of superiority. Kathleen Borrelli plays Heinz-Hermann Koelle, a former pilot who was never a Nazi, with warmth and intelligence. Melanie Moser gives researcher-engineer William Mrazek a sense of humor. Ruth Adele Mandsager is delightfully grumpy as Arthur Rudolph, developer of the rocket for the first Apollo flight. Hillary Ferguson, as engineer Helmut Hoelzer, laughs frequently. Zayne Clayton and Jessica Jae Unker are fine in smaller roles.
Lighting design is by Michael Peterson, costumes by Lilli Turner, hair and makeup by Laura Tuffli, sound by Darian Soderquist/Chad Kushuba and properties by Laura Leader.
The reason Skillman chose to have women play all the roles is tied to a supposedly surprise ending revealing new information. It really isn’t a surprise. The information has been known and disseminated for decades. Nevertheless, the play tackles difficult themes. What is forgivable? What is not? When are you allowed to turn a blind eye to evil deeds, or participate in such deeds? These are questions that could easily keep you awake at night.