BREAKING THE CODE

During WWII, the Nazis developed the supposedly unbreakable Enigma Code, which the British had to crack or risk losing the war. Brilliant mathematician Alan Turing succeeded and was highly praised by Churchill and awarded the OBE. But when his homosexuality was revealed, at a time when homosexuality was a crime in Britain, his career was destroyed. Turing eventually committed suicide. Whitemore's play revolves around breaking the code of silence about homosexuality, not really the Enigma Code. Dynamic production by L.A. Theatre Works turns what could have been a maudlin exposé into compelling theater. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 05]