By Jody Tuso-Key, Managing Editor
Atlanta – Fall is my favorite time of year for many reasons, one of which is that it’s the time of season openers in Atlanta Theaters. Synchronicity Theatre’s in house opener THE ROCKET MEN, a National New Play Network rolling premiere, launched this weekend and runs through November 2nd. Synchronicity Theatre has been an Atlanta favorite for over 20 years and has found a niche in programming that highlights the voices of women and girls. If you’re not familiar with this intimate space located on Peachtree Street NE, you’re missing out and should definitely add it to your list of places to see quality live productions, and they’ve done it again with a thought provoking opener that takes historical fact mixed with fictional imaginings and propels it out of the atmosphere.
You may be asking, if Synchronicity focuses on women’s programming, how does a historical story about a group of former German male scientists fit into the theater’s mission and vision? Well, this story happens to be performed by a cast of women playing the unlikely group of men who designed the rockets that propelled NASA to the moon. There’s a poignant reason for this which will be addressed later in this review.
Personally, I’m a huge space nerd. Born in 1966, I’m a space age baby. The first mission I remember seeing on television from launch to landing was Apollo 14 in 1971. At five years old, I sat in the living room with my family. We thought we were just like the astronauts drinking Tang and eating Space Food Sticks. We grew up with shows like Buck Rogers, My Favorite Martian, and of course, Star Trek and Star Wars. When I started teaching in the mid 1990s, the film Apollo 13 launched in theaters and I immersed my language arts students in all things space and Apollo. We read the junior novelization and went on a field trip to the movies. Thanks for indulging me in my trip down memory lane, but now to present day and THE ROCKET MEN.
Many of us think we know about the United States of America’s role in the Cold War and Space Race, but there are aspects of it that were glossed over by the government and the media. While I consider myself to be somewhat of an expert in the field, I was surprised to find that I had never really taken a look at the scientists that developed the rockets which launched the astronauts into space. They are an afterthought in most people’s minds—something that is dismissed as easily as the rockets themselves that are discarded as a capsule makes its way out of the earth’s atmosphere. We also easily forget that these same rockets are the ones that were first designed as instruments of war that potentially carry weapons of mass destruction. THE ROCKET MEN highlights historical events through a modern lens that exposes the seedy underbelly of the US space program. It’s a story that exposes many layers, brings some things that are conveniently hidden in the shadows into the light, and provides a new perspective concerning our quest to reach for the stars.
The program was called Operation Paperclip, a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were brought from former Nazi Germany to the US after WWII, between 1945 and 1959; several of which were confirmed to be former members of the Nazi Party. Prominent among those scientists was Wernher Von Braun, a rocket scientist and opportunist who co-developed the V-2 rocket in Germany and saved his skin post-WWII to develop the rockets that launched America’s first satellite, Explorer, and the Saturn V rockets that launched the Apollo space vehicles to the moon.
THE ROCKET MEN focuses on Wernher Von Braun (Amelia Fisher), and four of the scientists on his team, William A. Mrazek (Imani Joseph) chief engineer; Arthur Randolph (Suzanne Roush) rocket developer; Helmut Hoelzer (Vallea E. Woodbury) inventor and constructor of the world’s first electronic analog computer, and Heinz-Hermann Koelle (Laura Boston Edwards) a young aeronautical engineer who was brought into the program several years later, worked on the preliminary designs and left the project in 1965. Playwright Crystal Skillman bases Heinz-Hermann Koelle’s limited tenure in the program as well as the fictional role of a young Jewish engineer named Sol (Gillian Rabin) as catalyst to pose questions about Werner Von Braun’s role in Nazi Germany’s Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp where the V-2 rockets were assembled by the hands of the camp’s inmates, mostly Jewish women. This is the basis Stillmen intended for the six roles to be played by female-identifying and non-binary actors. The juxtaposition of men developing these important accomplishments on the backs of discarded Jewish women, some of whom were eventually hanged on the scaffolding of concentration camp’s testing grounds, resonates with a power and awe that is palpable to the audience. In a similar light, the juxtaposition of the plight of the Jewish People against the hands of the Nazis and the Jim Crow “separate but equal” laws of the setting in Huntsville, Alabama are also a topic of conversation among the scientists.
Director Rachel May does an excellent job of bringing Crytal Skillman’s script to life. Every element works together to pull off a stellar performance. I’m always amazed at Synchronicity’s ability to use their intimate space to the fullest, and this set is no exception. Scenic Designer Gabby Stephenson Trice frames a Cold War government office setting with a retro-futuristic frame. Two curtains are closed on elevated platforms and pulled back at times to reveal Von Braun’s office and a portion of the city’s library which also doubles as other settings external from the office. Properties designer Tierney Breedlove and did a top-notch job of finding period correct items to enhance the set, and costume designer Hollis Smith’s clothing choices reflected the time period appropriately. Dramaturg Kathy Janich did her homework as evidenced by the historic elements which were as close to period correct as they could be, as well as the info board that is visible as patrons enter the theater. The use of projections by designer Benton Reed briefly turns the set into a city street and picturesque country scene on a lake. Projections are also used to display historical video footage and images, including Von Braun’s appearances with Walt Disney on a series of films to popularize space travel. Lighting Designer Elisabeth Cooper highlighted the action well, and the lighting was appropriately subtle yet powerful in evoking emotions of each scene. The sound, designed by Caludia Jenkins Martinez, was wonderfully executed. Small things like phone rings, of which there were many, were expertly carried out.
The six women in this production all carried off excellent performances. I’ve seen some of their work in other Atlanta productions, and some of them are new to me as an audience member. Each actor worked well together to tell this story.
Amelia Fischer is Wernher Von Braun. I last saw her in SEE ROCK CITY at Theatre Burford, which was a few years ago. She is a consummate professional who commands the stage and fully invests in the characters she plays.
Laura Boston Edwards as Heinz-Hermann Koelle is the real deal – a scientist turned actor with degrees in Molecular Biology, Psychology, and Education. Her character adds heart and soul to the production as does Gillian Rabin as Sol.
Gillian also adds narration and continuity to the show in the character of “Friend”, ringing a bell to denote the passage of time. She has a good deal of film acting under her belt, and I hope to see more of her on ATL stages in the future.
I’ve enjoyed seeing Imani Joseph who plays William A Mrazek in several productions at City Springs and Shakespeare Tavern. It’s nice to see her range as an actor in this role.
Suzanne Roush as Arthur Rudolph is the seasoned veteran of the group, and does a fantastic job.
Last, but certainly not least, Vallea E. Woodbury as Helmut Holzer adds in the proper amount of humor with her good comedic timing, and was also able to add seriousness to scenes when called for.
THE ROCKET MEN is Speakeysie HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and we suggest you get your tickets to this show ASAP at https://synchrotheatre.com/plays-events/season/rocket-men/ . The run time of the show is approximately 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission.
The theater will be hosting a series of pre-show talks for their Sunday shows as follows:
GA Humanities Pre-Show Talks
Talk #1: The history of Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp and lessons for today
Sunday, October 12, 2025, 3:30-4:30 p.m., followed by 5:00 p.m. show
Featuring: Molly Wilkinson Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of History | University of Alabama in Huntsville
Talk #2: Jewish experience and history in the South, and navigating personal relationships with political and humanitarian accountability
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 3:30-4:30 p.m., followed by 5:00 p.m. show
Featuring: Sandy Berman, founding archivist of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum and author of several books including Whitewashed — https://sbermanauthor.com
Talk #3: Ethics, Complicity, and History
Sunday, October 26, 2025, 4-4:30 p.m., followed by 5:00 p.m. show, with a post-show reflection and discussion afterward
Featuring: Paul Root Wolpe, Raymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair of Jewish Bioethics at Emory University and head of the planned Center for Conflict Transformation, Mediation, Civic Dialogue and Peacebuilding
Speakeysie 