Coffey stirring in "QED"
By Sean Leary, ARGUS/DISPATCH--January 13, 2005

`QED' will be presented today at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., by New Ground Theatre at Rivermont Collegiate Theater, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf. Tickets are $12, or $10 for seniors and students, at the door. (563) 326-7529.

Two weeks into the new year and we've already got a strong contender for acting performance of 2005 --- Dan Coffey in New Ground Theater's ``QED.''

Coffey so skillfully creates a brilliant, amiable and accessible character in scientist Richard Feynman that the two-plus hours you spend with him zip by happily. Although a quantum physics professor by trade, Feynman, as played by Coffey, is far from stuffy. He's the teacher you wish you had in college --- curious, funny, open-minded and slightly goofy.

Throughout ``QED,'' Coffey addresses the audience, telling the abridged story of his life as he tries to decide whether or not to have an operation on the cancer eating him alive. The procedure isn't without great risk. Ergo, a man who has lived examining the angles and investing in logical percentages is forced to put his faith in both the science he respects and the philosophy upon which his existence has been based.

As to be expected, Feynman regards his situation with a scientific detachment, and Coffey does a magnificent job in capturing the distant wonder he feels looking at himself as the subject of his ultimate experiment. However, unlike the lead character in ``Wit,'' a very similar person in virtually the same situation, Feynman has a warmth and optimism that buoys what could otherwise be a very tense show.

The casual jaunt through Feynman's life is interesting and intricate, but relayed simply, cutting through the technical jargon and slicing to the highlights. He was one of the scientists who helped build the atomic bomb. He was part of the group investigating the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger. And he's still haunted by the greatest personal tragedy of his life, the death of his wife decades earlier.

Coffey rarely makes a wrong move in playing the likable, intriguing Feynman. He delivers a performance that's sterling in its subtlety, that must be seen, must be experienced. ``QED'' is a masterful show that feels real; a funny, witty production that will not only entertain you, but will make you see life with a new sense of wonder.

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