Atomic bomb play, Oppenheimer, gets London transfer

A hit play about America’s race to build an atomic bomb under Robert Oppenheimer is to transfer to London

Compelling: John Heffernan as Oppenheimer (Picture: Keith Pattison/RSC)

Louise Jury|Chief Arts Correspondent26 February 2015

Oppenheimer tells the story of the theoretical physicist, who died in 1967, and the personal cost to him of his work on the Manhattan Project.

The nuclear weapons programme culminated in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, bringing the Second World War to a close at the cost of massive loss of life.

The play, staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company, will open at the Vaudeville after finishing its run at the Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The production will retain most of its original cast, led by John Heffernan in the title role.

Writer Tom Morton-Smith, 35, who lives in south London, said he was thrilled but “gobsmacked” his play was transferring to the capital.

“When I first pitched the idea to the RSC, their brief was bring us the biggest thing you can think of,” he said. “It seemed relevant to look at the origins of a science that has influenced and changed the world.”

Gregory Doran, the RSC’s artistic director, said: “Tom took up our challenge and has tackled a complex subject and some extraordinary personalities, and has woven a magnificently written and compelling narrative around them.”