Feynmania

I just listened to a radio version of Moving Bodies, a play about the life of Richard Feynman. It wasn't that good.

There have been two other dramatizations of Feynman that I'm aware of, Infinity starring Matthew Broderick and QED starring Alan Alda. Neither was well received.

The reason there's so much interest in Feynman is not that he's a great scientist (though he is), but that his book of anecdotes, which has very little to do with physics, is a bestseller. All the dramatizations are mostly retellings of the stories in this book and its sequel.

When I first read it, I thought it would make a great one-man stage show. The stories were already well-honed. With a little editing, and some narrative to tie it all together, it would make for a great night at the theatre. I still think that. Someone should try it.