In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheim: A Play (Mermaid Dramabook)

I hold it a kind of honor to be the first to write a review of this on such a large and successful website. I'll take my honor and hold it close, while I realize it's essential irrelevance....Anyway... For the unknowing, or the initially curious, In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer; A Play Freely Adapted on the Basis of the Documents, is a good beginning for an understanding of the goings-on in the life of Oppenheimer, "American Prometheus," "Father of the Atomic Bomb," etc., and the inter-personal dramatics that made up the Manhatten Project, aka The Creation of the Atom Bomb. As a theatre artist, this satisfies as a theatrical piece, as it came about in a volatile time, 1964 it was published in German, 1967-68 in English, when the theatre was actively vocalizing the sentiments of many rebellious/liberal/original/controversial people, and was equally regarded as a place of social significance (this may have since changed). Using verbatim documentations, as the subtitle says, Kipphardt parsed through thousands of pages for the witness testimony that held the most theatrical and inter-personal weight, in the hearings of Oppenheimer. In 1954 the Atomic Energy Commission held hearings on Oppenheimer's security clearance, as his past associations with Communists had been reported and his reluctance to support production of the hydrogen bomb was thought to be detrimental to the security and war interests of the country. Ultimately he was denied a clearance, but no matter, he was disinterested in war projects and went on to stand for nuclear and weapons disarmament. The above statement is not a reveal, as this is widely known, and it doesn't hinder the experience of the play itself. What matters here is the presentation of the verbatim transcipts and the monologues of the major players, as a Theatre of Testimony work that used historical data, ala (another German) Peter Weiss' Marat/Sade or Investigation, or Julian Barry's Lenny, to theatricalize both a character and a time/place that had a value beyond it's aparent aim. It also held a level of absurdity that was inspired... In today's (1/30/7) terrorist fearing America, the Red Scare of the 1950's holds a weight that is illuminating, especially as it targeted one of the era's most influential and remarkable figures.