Last night I saw Doctor Atomic an opera about building the first nuke. I think we’ll see more and more “technology” storied from history hit plays, operas, broadway musicals – they’re filled with interesting characters, struggle, conflict, love and all the things you need for a great story. Doctor Atomic by composer John Adams is about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. The opera takes place in 1945 in New Mexico during what was called the Manhattan project.
So how was it? Good, probably not for everyone – but if you’re science minded and enjoy other ways of presenting a historic and technological event you’ll probably like this. You rarely get to hear people singing about plutonium. I really like that The Met is having a science based opera, I suspect in the future we’ll see other historical events in technology be presented in ways like this too.
More:
Photo gallery @ The Met.
HD listings (operas now available in HD).
MetPlayer (Oct 22).
6 thoughts on “Doctor Atomic an opera about building the first nuke”
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I believe the same composer is responsible for the opera “Nixon in China”. The HD simulcast of the Met, shown in movie theaters across the nation, is rumored to be quite excellent. This may be worth checking out.
Proof – by David Auburn is an EXCELLENT play about a mathematician, and is in the mainstream of theater. Producing engaging plays, musicals and operas about scientists is not difficult or absurd, and helps eductae others.
Another creative way to present in a theater. That’s interesting.