In Which There are Museums, and an Atom Bomb

I impulse bought a theatre ticket about a month ago, for the RSC's production of 'Oppenheimer', which has just transferred from Stratford to London.Tickets for the first few nights were half price, and I was tempted. (of course, the cost of tickets is relatively low to start with, compared to the cost of trains and accommodation, but one doesn't always think of that!)

Which  meant that last Saturday I caught a train to London, for a weekend of exhibitions and theatre.

I started with a quick visit to the Wallace Collection , which was a little disappointing, as unfortunately several of the rooms were closed to visitors, including the majority of their collection of arms and armour, which I would have liked to see, so I quickly moved on.

I went on  to the Petrie Museum, which was founded under a bequest to University College London by Amelia Edwards, an early Egyptologist, and co-founder of the Egypt Exploration Society.

It is a small but interesting museum, dedicated to ancient Egyptian archaeology and  artifacts. I admit that my enthusiasm for potsherds is rather limited, but I loved seeing the fragments of stone and plaster, some of which still show the original colours. The museum also has a number of portraits from (later period) coffins, amazingly well preserved after 2,000 years or so! 

I also enjoyed seeing the collections of jewellery, ranging from gold to glass and ceramic beads.

After leaving the museum, I had time for a leisurely meal before heading out to the theatre for the evening.

I have very impressed indeed with the cast. The play starts in around 1937 and follows J Robert Oppenheimer ('Oppie') in his progress towards the creation of the Atomic bomb, with the play ending just after Nagasaki. 

Oppenheimer is played by John Heffernan,who I last saw in 'The HotHouse', about two years ago. I thought then he was worth watching, and I stand by that opinion! His Oppenheimer is not a particularly likeable man, sacrificing his own political principals, and his Communist friends and colleagues in order to achieve his own ambitions, and not, it would appear a natural husband or father, but he is a very human man, tormented by the weight of the work he is doing.

The play is almost 3 hours long, (which at the Vaudeville Theatre is no joke!) but it is gripping, and well worth seeing.

I'm not entirely sure about the part of the play where the atom bomb is exploded - there is a large model bomb which is winched up above the stage, and there is then a blackout as the 'bomb' goes off - I admit that I think it might have been more effective had the 'bomb' remained offstage, but over all it is a gripping production, and does address the moral issues raised by the building, and dropping of the bomb.