Copenhagen

Michael Frayn’s starting point for his superb play Copenhagen is the famous 1941 private meeting of Niels Bohr (a Danish physicist) and Werner Heisenberg (a German physicist working on the atomic bomb). It has long been speculated what was said at the meeting, which took place when German supremacy was near its peak and the stakes for both men's countries couldn’t have been higher. Frayn's play is full of physics (which are presented clearly and intelligently), as well as genuine suspense as the threat of war hangs in the background. But what really carries the play is the lively and witty dialogue, a consistent delight.