Oppenheimer's Atomic Bombers

"The master of ceremonies ... is Richard Feynman, the bright, smart-alecky, eloquent physicist who was one of the youngest and brightest of the men brought into the project ... J. Robert Oppenheimer [is] the dedicated scientist urging his team not to waste a moment, lest they waste lives ... Without resorting to ultra-complex explanation, and with unobtrusive but welcome bursts of humor, the play handily suggests the tension and excitement of the immense problem solving that these men and women undertook. And to make sure that the science story is grounded in humanity, there are peeks at the domestic lives of the participants, tenderly in the case of the Feynmans and amusingly in the case of Fermi and his wife. Vandenbroucke's particular contribution ... has been to humanize the epic project by telling this extraordinary story clearly and entertainingly." -Richard Christiansen, Chicago Tribune

"Vandenbroucke has wisely focused on the human dimension of the people who actually made the bomb rather than on arcane technical details, and we can see and feel the excitement of an isolated community charged with the greatest scientific discovery since the harnessing and manufacture of electrical energy ... The final reaction to this energetic and enjoyable [play] is a deep sadness over the war at the heart of nationalistic mankind." -Michael Lassell, L.A. Weekly

"It's funny, sad, thought provoking, informative ... and thus wonderful theater." -Katy Compere Pendleton, Clarion Arts

"Crackles with wit and dark humor and draws you into the excitement felt by the scientists and their mission ... a compelling, humanistic story." -Jeff Rossen, Gay Chicago