Atomic had little to no redeeming value, except for some of the camp found in Jonathan Hammond's first number.
Yes, it's an interesting story, but one that cries out to be a play or film, not a musical. Apparently there was a play called "In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer" that played Lincoln Center in'69, but someone could always write a fresh take on the events.
A big mistake was having Oppenheimer being the narrator (who barely narrated), but then basically never appearing in the actual story. How was he telling this tale without taking part in it.
The songs rarely advanced the plot, and the characters weren't even worth developing. Poor Sara Gettelfinger was saddled with some of the worst put-upon-wife songs in recent memory. The score didn't evoke much from the period, and combined with the ugly set it gave me terrifying flashbacks to the recent Jekyll & Hyde revival.
A swing and miss for sure, although one wonders who ever let this one up to the plate in the first place.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
