Nick Bowling ~ + Director
Complicite Playwright

Cast

Kareem Bandealy * Al

Anu Bhatt Young Woman, Janaki, Surita, Librarian, Ensemble

Arya Daire Ramanujan’s Mother, Gertrude, Barbara, Ensemble

Dennis William Grimes * ^ Hardy, Ensemble

Juliet Hart * + Ruth

Anish Jethmalani * + Aninda, Ensemble

Siddhartha Rajan Ramanujan, Ensemble

Joseph Sultani Taxi Driver, David, Littlewood, Dr. Wingfield, Ensemble

Bob Garrett Musician

Ronnie Malley Musician

Production Team

Eva Breneman ^ Dialect Coach

Mikhail Fiksel # ^ Sound Designer

Maren Robinson + Dramaturg
William Carlos Angulo Choreographer
William Boles # Scenic Designer
Alex Dearmin * Stage Manager
Sally Dolembo # Costume Designer
Brendan Flynn Assistant Director
Rasean Davonté Johnson # Projections Designer
Luci Kersting * Production Assistant
Vivian Knouse Properties Design
Rachel K. Levy # Lighting Designer
Alka Nayyar * Associate Director
Dina Spoerl Lobby Display Designer

Understudies

Anand Bhatt Ramanujan, Taxi Driver, David, Littlewood, Dr. Wingfield, Ensemble

Dana Black Ruth

Suzan Faycurry Young Woman, Janaki, Surita, Librarian, Ramanujan’s Mother, Gertrude, Barbara, Ensemble

Victor Holstein Hardy, Ensemble

Reviews

Chicago Tribune

January 19, 2017

★ ★ ★ “If you love Tom Stoppard’s plays, you’ll love this one. … A masterwork. … One of the best theater pieces ever created about the intersection of mathematics, physics and string theory, a fine choice for a parent or grandparent wishing to inspire a mathematically inclined teen and a show … with enough ideas to make your head explode. … Overall, it’s a smart and deftly articulated show, as you would expect from this respected, audience-centered theater.”

—Chris Jones

Newcity

January 20, 2017

RECOMMENDED. “Infinitely compelling … There is a unique totality to this production that, like a convergent sequence approaching infinity, comes close to perfection. … In 2017, TimeLine’s desire to keep art and life in a conversation with each other is as essential as it’s ever been … A Disappearing Number will change the way you look at the world, most likely for the better. It is history, time, love and math all wrapped into a compelling yet enigmatic whole.”

—Kevin Greene

PerformInk

January 20, 2017

“In this challenging and dividing cultural moment, there can perhaps be no greater longing than the one to make order out of chaos. And that is precisely why the characters in A Disappearing Number are so drawn to mathematics: that universe follows a separate and orderly reality—a reality far more comforting than the one in which these individuals (and the audience members) find themselves. It is a startling and lovely resonance, reinforced by Timeline’s equally lovely production.”

—Rachel Weinberg

Chicago Sun-Times

January 20, 2017

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. “A superbly multi-layered, deeply human story laced with immense emotional depth, great bursts of humor, a magical infusion of musical and choreographic accents, and such compelling performances that you have no doubt the actors could pass the most challenging exams even without the aid of their scripts. … This is a stunning take on a supremely modern work — one that demands (and receives) its own touch of genius. … [it] could not be more beautiful.”


—Hedy Weiss

Stage and Cinema

January 19, 2017

RECOMMENDED. “The one-act amounts to 110 minutes of intellectual inebriation. This perfectly constructed and appropriately balanced work, now in a suitably captivating staging by Nick Bowling, spins parallel plots of scientific inquiry caught up in human complications. … It conveys the wonder of having dug an immutable truth from not so random numbers. Few souls get to snatch infinity from transience.”

—Lawrence Bommer

Third Coast Review

January 24, 2017

“A Disappearing Number is a multi-layered, complex story of love and math over the course of a century. TimeLine Theatre’s new production of the script by Complicité is mesmerizing, sometimes mystifying, and definitely worth your time and attention. … It is a joyous intellectual brain-teaser.”

—Nancy Bishop

Windy City Times

January 25, 2017

“The play—and its more-than-capable ensemble—presents this intellectual material in arresting fashion and also portrays the beauty of theoretical math … it’s energetic and very well done, and the production feels important.“

—Jonathan Abarbanel

Theatre Mania

January 24, 2017

“Yes, A Disappearing Number is a play about pure theoretical math, but it is presented with such artistry and humanity that even staunch right-brain thinkers will be taken in. TimeLine Theatre Company, now in its 20th season, is working at a remarkable level of ambition and complexity with this production. … stories twist and turn around one another, as text, movement, music, and video multiply together and divide again, seemingly as complex and meticulous as Ramanujan’s proofs.”

—Adelaide Lee

Ada Grey Reviews for You

February 3, 2017

“People who would like this show are people who like phone number puzzles, string theory, and inconvenient apples. I thought this was a beautiful show. I’ve never seen a show like this before that gives you so much to learn and makes it so fun.Seeing the show is like solving a big long word problem; it is very satisfying and it also tells a story.”

—Ada Grey

WDCB 90.9 FM: The Dueling Critics

February 8, 2017

“A fascinating play about the most influential man you’ve never heard of … It is beautifully produced and staged, which we’ve come to expect from TimeLine.”

—Jonathan Abarbanel

Chicago Theater Beat

March 2, 2017

★ ★ ★. An enthralling window into another world … A Disappearing Number is at once a mathematical mystery thriller (yes, such a thing exists), a romance, and a tragedy rooted in history. … Movement, flickering video, recordings and live action form an elegant web over the stage and through the story. [Director Nick] Bowling pulls all the strands together with the symmetry and exquisite delicacy of a spider.

—Catey Sullivan

Features

Ascene Chicago

February 1, 2017

Read this “What’s Your Story?” feature from Ascene Chicago on A Disappearing Number actor Siddhartha Rajan’s experiences with the production, the math, and the challenges he faced portraying the isolated genius Ramanujan.

—Mia Park

Read the full review