The Physicists - Donmar Warehouse

When Josie Rourke announced her first season as Artistic Director of the Donmar, Freidrich Durrenmatt's absurdest play The Physicists caught my attention for a number of reasons. Both playwright and play I was unfamiliar with and the premise sounded intriguing - three physicists locked in a sanatorium with a political backdrop of the cold war and a murder. What more could you want from a play (especially when housed in a small theatre like the Donmar)?
The premise is simple enough to start. Without giving too much away, the play opens with a bang as we are greeted with the dead body of a nurse, dressed in all white to match the clinical feel of the set. From here we are introduced to many characters, both sane and insane.
My main problem with Rourke's production was not the play (albeit some lines felt out of place), nor was it any of the technicals, instead my main problem was with John Heffernan as Mobias. As what is arguably the main role I would have expected a more solid performance, one which did not feel strained and out of place like Heffernan's did. In one particular scene in the first act, Heffernan as Mobias goes insane and accordingly frantically falls about the set - his acting in this scene seemed highly forced and awkward, never did I believe that what I was seeing was anything more than just a piece of acting in a play. However, the other performances were truly great such as Sophie Thompson as the frightful Doctor and Justin Salinger as Newton.
The play takes many interesting twists and turns, thus keeping the audience engaged and there are also some very funny moments. The ending is a real visual treat and the play to me felt relevant in light of recent scientific advancement, although it did feel more like a piece of fun theatre than anything else which left me leaving slighly underwhelmed.
The Physicists definitely deservs three stars as it is a good piece of theatre which is well directed, visualised and performed (except Heffernan). Four stars feels like a slight push for something which may slip into the back of my mind soon, although I would reccomend it to those who enjoy a good, solid production.