The life of Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard was full of contradictions: a longing for roots and an urge to spread his wings; a pivotal role in launching the Manhattan Project followed by a lifelong commitment to nuclear disarmament; a love of physics coupled with a refusal to remain in a permanent academic position; shyness in personal encounters balanced by the courage to approach presidents and secretaries of state whenever he believed it might help the world. And he certainly never lacked the desire to save it.
The staged reading of Martians offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of Szilard, an “intellectual wanderer.” Compared with figures such as John von Neumann or Edward Teller, he may be one of the lesser-known “Martians” – the nickname given to a group of Hungarian émigré physicists in the United States – but he was no less important. The lead role is performed by Martin Myšička, alongside Karel Kocourek as the “Martian.”