Galileo Tickets

Galileo Galilei was one of the most prolific scientists of his time, but the history of his discoveries and teachings is littered with scandal. Order your Galileo tickets now to discover how his scientific findings attracted the ire of the Roman Catholic Church and how he struggled to preserve his work against dangerously powerful opposition.

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Galileo Information

Theatre:

Classic Stage Company
136 East 13th Street
New York, NY 10003

About the Show:

Galileo (also called Life of Galileo or The Life of Galileo) is a play by German playwright Bertolt Brecht. The first version was completed in 1939. The second version, meant for American distribution, was completed in 1947, with the help of translator Charles Laughton. The first version premiered at the Zurich Schauspielhaus on September 9, 1943, and the second version premiered at Los Angeles' Coronet Theatre on July 30, 1947. A film version was made in 1975 starring actor Topol.

The play relates the later years of the life of Italian natural philosopher Galileo Galilei, a time during which he was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church for the teachings of his scientific discoveries. Get your Galileo tickets to see how this play tackles the issues of dogmatism, oppression, and intellectual freedom.

Plot Synopsis:

Galileo Galilei is running low on money. When a prospective student tells him about a new invention, the telescope, which has caught on in Amsterdam, he replicates it and sells it to the Venetian people as his own. Using the telescope, he also substantiates Copernicus' sun-centered model of the solar system, despite popular skepticism and church doctrine to the contrary. He publishes his findings in layman's terms so the people can understand it. Meanwhile, his daughter's marriage to a wealthy man that she loves is sabotaged because of Galileo's stubborn reluctance to relent on his controversial teachings.

Galileo is eventually brought to the Vatican for questioning. He recants his teachings only upon the threat of torture, which shocks his students. An old and broken man, Galileo lives alone under house arrest. One day, a former student, Andrea, visits him. Galileo gives the young man a book of his original teachings and begs him to smuggle it abroad where it can be distributed. Andrea now believes that Galileo merely redacted his teachings to fool the church authorities and calls him a hero, to which Galileo responds that he is no hero; his actions were caused by his own desire for self-preservation.