A Night Out on Broadway

Last Night, Wife and I attended our first Broadway show together. Wife chose “The Farnsworth Invention,” believing the subject and genre would be one I would choose: a thoughtful courtroom drama. As it turns out, courtroom scenes were minimal – which is probably best because I didn’t need to scream, “They can’t do that!” or “That’s not a valid objection!” or “You would never ask that during cross-examination!”

The Farnsworth Invention turned out to be an excellent show, telling the historical tale of Philo Farnsworth, a young bumpkin from Idaho who invented the television while NBC/RCA executive, David Sarnoff, who will stop at nothing to ensure he owns the patent.

The actors were very good, led by Jimmi Simpson (of Zodiac fame) and Hank Azaria (who has done a great number of projects, but is probably most famous for his voice-overs in The Simpsons). Personally, I found it difficult not to picture Moe whenever Azaria spoke.

I should probably add that while the show was great – Wife and I had a wonderful time – the historical accuracy leaves a little to be desired. Last night, I read up on the history and, starting with the beginning of the story, began to find little inaccuracies. As I continued to read, the errors began to grow. The culmination was reading that the court decision was, in reality, the exact opposite of what occurred in the play. Despite the fast and lose approach to the historical facts, it was still a great show.

The line of the movie I found most interesting: “Of course the ends justify the means. That’s what means are for.”

If you would like a glimpse of what we experienced, here is the trailer:

The Farnsworth Invention