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**Zebrabitch** · 06-14-2006, 07:32 AM

Why "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer" Matters

Photo by Theresa Squire.
Thomas Jay Ryan and Ensemble in "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer."

NY Theatre Wire
Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons
June 4, 2006

"In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer"
Directed by Carl Forsman
Presented by Keen Company

The Connelly Theater
220 East 4th St, between avenues A and B
Opens June 7, 2006
Tues. thru Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m.
$19 (212) 868-4444 or
www.smarttix.com
Closes June 27, 2006

When every day we hear about Iran's attempts to create nuclear weapons and our government's secret wiretapping, what could be timelier than Heinar Kipphardt's 1968 docu-drama that sets security against democracy, "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer"?

The play is the final show of Keen Company's 2005/2006 season, and it is directed by the company's artistic director, Carl Forsman. As usual, Keen Company gives a sensitive, thoughtful and powerful treatment to a play that deals with difficult issues.

"In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer" is set in 1954, at the height of the McCarthy witch hunt. Oppenheimer, who leaned to the left in his youth, and had numerous friends and relatives who were Communists or Communist sympathizers, has been stripped of his security clearance. In an effort to get it back, he has requested a hearing before the personnel board of the Atomic Energy Commission.

As the play begins, the three members of the board: Gordon Gray (Wilbur Edwin Henry), Ward V. Evans (Dan Daily) and Thomas A. Morgan (Peter Davies); counsel for the Atomic Energy Commission: Roger Robb (Rocco Sisto) and C.A. Rolander (Matthew Rauch); and counsel for Oppenheimer: Lloyd K. Garrison (Ian Stuart) and Herbert S. Marks (Steve Routman) sit stiffly on a tiered stage, all facing the audience.

Oppenheimer, played by the superb Thomas Jay. Ryan, sits alternately on a bench and in the witness chair. In sharp contrast to the other men, he is remarkably at ease, even confident.

The men are all dressed in somber black suits and white shirts. This tone is echoed in the black, whites and grays of the set, only relieved by the red, white and blue of the American flag. (Nathan Heverin is the scenic designer and Theresa Squire is the costume designer.)

Oppenheimer speaks with intelligence, humor and a resignation that borders on arrogance. He is clearly making the mistake of trying to win the minds of these men and not their hearts.

But his statements contain wisdom today's leaders would do well to consider: "We should have knocked before opening the door to the horrible world we live in." "If the devil himself were on the other side, one would have to reach an understanding with the devil." And the line that made the biggest impression on the audience: "There are people willing to protect freedom until there's nothing left of it."

Oppenheimer was a complicated personality. He was the father of the atomic bomb, but after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he became a major opponent of escalating the arms race. He was an urban sophisticate and also surprisingly naïve. He claimed to love his country, but it was apparent he loved mankind more.

Ryan deftly portrays Oppenheimer in all his inconsistency and ambivalence. He gives Oppenheimer heroic qualities but (fortunately) keeps him much too human to be a tragic hero.

Oppenheimer is certainly not the only person onstage capable of eloquence. Edward Teller (Keith Reddin), the evil genius, makes a good case for the devil. While Marks mounts a valiant defense, claiming sardonically that Oppenheimer's "faith in the power of argument makes him a worse witness than Joan of Arc, who could not read." And Hans Bethe (Matt Fischel) defends his friend, saying, "History will not remember the ideas we fought for but the methods we used to enforce them."

In the end, Oppenheimer is convicted of "ideological treason." In other words, the mere act of thinking the wrong thoughts makes someone suspect, even in the absence of evidence.

One can only guess what might have happened to Oppenheimer had the Internet existed in 1954.

06-14-2006, 07:32 AM	#7
Zebrabitch Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 634 Senior Member	Why "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer" Matters Photo by Theresa Squire. Thomas Jay Ryan and Ensemble in "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer." NY Theatre Wire Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons June 4, 2006 *"In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer"* Directed by Carl Forsman Presented by Keen Company The Connelly Theater 220 East 4th St, between avenues A and B Opens June 7, 2006 Tues. thru Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. $19 (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com Closes June 27, 2006 When every day we hear about Iran's attempts to create nuclear weapons and our government's secret wiretapping, what could be timelier than Heinar Kipphardt's 1968 docu-drama that sets security against democracy, "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer"? The play is the final show of Keen Company's 2005/2006 season, and it is directed by the company's artistic director, Carl Forsman. As usual, Keen Company gives a sensitive, thoughtful and powerful treatment to a play that deals with difficult issues. "*In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer*" is set in 1954, at the height of the McCarthy witch hunt. Oppenheimer, who leaned to the left in his youth, and had numerous friends and relatives who were Communists or Communist sympathizers, has been stripped of his security clearance. In an effort to get it back, he has requested a hearing before the personnel board of the Atomic Energy Commission. As the play begins, the three members of the board: Gordon Gray (Wilbur Edwin Henry), Ward V. Evans (Dan Daily) and Thomas A. Morgan (Peter Davies); counsel for the Atomic Energy Commission: Roger Robb (Rocco Sisto) and C.A. Rolander (Matthew Rauch); and counsel for Oppenheimer: Lloyd K. Garrison (Ian Stuart) and Herbert S. Marks (Steve Routman) sit stiffly on a tiered stage, all facing the audience. Oppenheimer, played by the superb Thomas Jay. Ryan, sits alternately on a bench and in the witness chair. In sharp contrast to the other men, he is remarkably at ease, even confident. The men are all dressed in somber black suits and white shirts. This tone is echoed in the black, whites and grays of the set, only relieved by the red, white and blue of the American flag. (Nathan Heverin is the scenic designer and Theresa Squire is the costume designer.) Oppenheimer speaks with intelligence, humor and a resignation that borders on arrogance. He is clearly making the mistake of trying to win the minds of these men and not their hearts. But his statements contain wisdom today's leaders would do well to consider: "We should have knocked before opening the door to the horrible world we live in." "If the devil himself were on the other side, one would have to reach an understanding with the devil." And the line that made the biggest impression on the audience: "There are people willing to protect freedom until there's nothing left of it." Oppenheimer was a complicated personality. He was the father of the atomic bomb, but after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he became a major opponent of escalating the arms race. He was an urban sophisticate and also surprisingly naïve. He claimed to love his country, but it was apparent he loved mankind more. Ryan deftly portrays Oppenheimer in all his inconsistency and ambivalence. He gives Oppenheimer heroic qualities but (fortunately) keeps him much too human to be a tragic hero. Oppenheimer is certainly not the only person onstage capable of eloquence. Edward Teller (Keith Reddin), the evil genius, makes a good case for the devil. While Marks mounts a valiant defense, claiming sardonically that Oppenheimer's "faith in the power of argument makes him a worse witness than Joan of Arc, who could not read." And Hans Bethe (Matt Fischel) defends his friend, saying, "History will not remember the ideas we fought for but the methods we used to enforce them." In the end, Oppenheimer is convicted of "ideological treason." In other words, the mere act of thinking the wrong thoughts makes someone suspect, even in the absence of evidence. One can only guess what might have happened to Oppenheimer had the Internet existed in 1954.
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