New Zealand’s most famous scientist slips off the 100 dollar bill and into a lecture theatre nearly 80 years after his demise.
In a solo show for everyone, the Nobel prize-winner is played by Kiwi actor Nic Sampson, who has been called the “hardest working man in NZ television”.
Ernest Rutherford is portrayed as a thoroughly likeable chap, who regales audiences with stories including the globe-spanning tale of how he came to split the atom.
Entwined into this sometimes absurd and hilarious lecture is a love story. Like the atoms he split, Rutherford is torn between his two loves, his wife Mary and his “mistress” science.
Sampson, who wrote the play, has a solid comedy pedigree as a Billy T nominee, a writer for both TV3’s Jono and Ben and Funny Girls, and a regular at Auckland’s SNORT improv.
“An evening with Ernest Rutherford is hugely fun, surprisingly sweet... Perfect for a first date.” - Metro magazine
To the point: Ernest Rutherford comes to life/solo show/absurd and hilarious/facts and fiction/comedy writer.