Playwright: Complicite ( original conception by Simon McBurney ) At: TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave. Tickets: 773-281-8463; TimelineTheatre.com; $22-$51. Runs through: April 9
I'd never heard of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan ( 1887-1920 ) before seeing A Disappearing Number, but now I understand his profound importance to pure mathematics and in creating ground-breaking formulae applicable to modern physics string theory, approaching the Great Conundrum even Einstein couldn't crack of a general field theory. Almost 100 years after his death at 32, Ramanujan's theorems still inspire new work and proofs.
The play made me appreciate all this without understanding a whit of the theoretical maths quickly delineated, other than a few basics such as the concept of infinity. The play posits not just one infinity but "an infinity of infinities." The infinity resulting from, say, 1+2+3+4+5+6, etc. is not the same as the infinity resulting from 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc.
The play—and its more-than-capable ensemble—presents this intellectual material in arresting fashion and also portrays the beauty of theoretical math, which shares with nature ( sunflowers, nautilus shells, butterflies ) perfect symmetry and balance. Think of the Golden Ratio, which is found in nature but can be expressed mathematically and applied to, say, architecture.
A Disappearing Number is much more about Ramanujan's influence and legacy than it is about him. Yes, we get the basics of his story. Born high-caste in India but of very modest means, he's a precocious and natural mathematics genius mentored by individuals who recognize his extraordinary abilities. Eventually, he travels to England, works for five extraordinary years at Cambridge University with Professor G. H. Hardy and receives major honors. Hardy not only mentors Ramanujan but protects him from the era's overt racism.
But that isn't the play. Bouncing back-and-forth from the present to pre-World War I, and from England to India, a parallel story is told about a female 20th-century Cambridge math professor who marries an American businessman of South Asian heritage. It's not so clear as to who mentors whom in this modern relationship, or even why it's essential to Ramanujan's saga.
Ultimately, neither story is fully satisfying. Is the play's primary appeal intellectual or emotional? Should my focus be on Ramanujan and Hardy, or on Ruth and Al? Moving ever-so-rapidly, A Disappearing Number teases me with math concepts I cannot fully absorb and with primary human relationships which leave me wanting more. I particularly wanted to see more of Ramanujan and Hardy. Still, it's energetic and very well done, and the production feels important.
