Oppenheimer

Following a critically acclaimed sell-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon, Oppenheimer transfers to the Vaudeville Theatre, London for a strictly limited 8 week season from 27th March.

1939: fascism spreads across Europe, Franco marches on Barcelona and two German chemists discover the processes of atomic fission. In Berkeley, California, theoretical physicists recognize the horrendous potential of this new science: a weapon that draws its power from the very building blocks of the universe.

The ambitious and charismatic J Robert Oppenheimer finds himself uniquely placed to spearhead the largest scientific undertaking in all of human history. Determined to cast off his radical past and struggling with tempestuous relationships with his colleagues, wife and mistress, Oppenheimer finds himself thrust into a position of power, racing to create a weapon so devastating that it would bring about an end not just to the Second World War, but to all war.

Directed by Angus Jackson (King Lear, Chichester Festival Theatre and Brooklyn Academy of Music) with John Heffernan taking the role of Oppenheimer, Tom Morton-Smith's new play takes us into the heart of the Manhattan Project to reveal the personal cost of making history.