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By R. Todd Shuman
OperaOnline.us

Early in the libretto of John Adam’s engaging opera “Doctor Atomic,” physicist Edward Teller states “We could not enter the Atomic Age with clean hands,” and this evocative line perhaps best captures the mood of this truly haunting work, which is currently receiving its Chicago premier in a stunning, although sometimes busy, production at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Adams’ opera is an exploration of what is probably the most pivotal moment of the 20th century—the detonation of the first atomic bomb in July, 1945. This moment, of course, ushered in the Atomic Age beginning with the use of this new weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki the following August. Adams and his librettist, Peter Sellars, are not afraid to grapple with the weighty moral issues that surrounded the development and subsequent use of the bomb in a libretto that draws on such disparate sources as scientific reports, the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita, Native American legend, and the poetry of John Donne, Charles Baudelaire, and Muriel Rukeyser.

The opera brings together a collection of historical characters, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, Robert Wilson, General Leslie Groves, and Kitty Oppenheimer, to tell the story of this watershed moment. Perhaps the most sympathetic among them is the young Robert Wilson, beautifully sung here by Thomas Glenn. As the voice of concern, Wilson expresses his doubt that this weapon should be developed, let alone actually used on the Japanese, and in a beautiful scene in the second act expresses his sheer terror in the face of the bomb. Edward Teller, sung by Richard Paul Fink, receives a more sympathetic treatment here than history has given him. Fink’s portrays Teller as truly conflicted, standing in awe of the bomb’s power while recognizing its necessity. Of course, the true “star” of this tale is J. Robert Oppenheimer, and baritone Gerald Finley completely inhabits this role in what is nothing short of a brilliant performance. Finley’s Oppenheimer is a tortured soul whose life is completely overtaken by the Project, much to the dismay of his wife Kitty (beautifully sung by sublime soprano Jessica Rivera). One of his finest scenes is his aria “Batter my heart, three person’d God” (text by John Donne) at the end of the first act. Here, we see Oppenheimer wrestling with his demons on the eve of the test.

Adams’ use of the chorus in “Doctor Atomic” is brilliant, and the Lyric Opera chorus is certainly up for the challenge. Here they serve the function of a Greek Chorus, commenting on the action and foreshadowing the horrors to come. One of the opera’s most chilling scenes is the chorus’ piece “At the sight of this, your shape stupendous” that evokes terrifying images of the Hindu God Vishnu with the chorus bathed in a dark red light.

Set Designer Adrianne Lobel has created a wonderful set for this opera that is dominated by sets of poles (control rods, perhaps?) that stretch from stage to sky and color-shifting mountains at the rear of the stage. For much of the performance, the bomb hangs ominously over the action, as it has over us for the past 60 years. Lighting designer James F. Ingalls has outdone himself with a design that bathes the stage in colored lights to evoke the shifting moods of the characters. Nowhere is his brilliance more evident that in the final moments as the stage is illuminated in red, green, and a muted white light as we enter the Atomic Age in what may be the most chilling finale to an opera since “Gotterdammerung.”

While those who prefer lighter fare and memorable tunes may not find “Doctor Atomic” to their taste, it is one of the most memorable and haunting operas of recent years. Lyric Opera is to be commended for offering this challenging piece to Chicago audiences in such

a fine production. “Doctor Atomic” will be performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago through January 19.

Conductor — Robert Spano
Stage Director — Peter Sellars
Set Designer — Adrianne Lobel
Costume Designer — Dunya Ramicova
Lighting Designer — James FIngalls
Sound Designer — Mark Grey
Chorus Master — Donald Nally
Choreographer — Lucinda Childs