A picture is worth a thousand words. This aphorism rings true in “Photograph 51,” Anna Ziegler’s drama about overlooked female biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin (Aria Alpert).

There is a fuzzy red “x” in the aforementioned photograph, but Franklin sees more. She discovers the building blocks of life (DNA), but her work is compromised by Dr. Wilkins (Daniel Billet). James Watson (Ian Gould) and Francis Crick (Kerby Joe Grubb) take credit for its discovery.

The play examines the inner life of the Dark Lady of DNA, positing that her difficulty to work with other researchers led to her name being omitted from the Nobel Prize.

Alpert, daughter of musician Herb Alpert, does a decent job as the embittered female biophysicist, but it is Billet whose multilayered performance steals the show.

“Photograph 51,” a compelling drama about scientific discovery, is worth a look.



The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. For more information, visit fountaintheatre.com.