Doctor Atomic at Lyric Opera

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...Lyric is only the second American company to produce the opera after its troubled 2005 premiere in San Francisco, and is the first to present it in the revised version unveiled last June in Amsterdam. What felt muddled and dramatically inert in San Francisco has been replaced by a much more coherent artistic vision and a superior performance in general, with five of the original cast members from San Francisco returning to their roles."

SouthtownStar - Somewhat Recommended

"...While there are problems with the production, the vocalizations and performances are seamless. Gerald Finley stands out as powerful Oppenheimer, bass Richard Paul Fink is strong as physicist Edward Teller, tenor Thomas Glenn delivers a nice turn as Robert Wilson, bass Eric Owens makes for a humorous Gen. Leslie Groves, and soprano Jessica Rivera is sympathetic as Oppenheimer's wife, Kitty."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...Doctor Atomic lacks story, character development and dramatic conflict beyond a superficial level. All’s the more pity as Doctor Atomic is the first major American opera of the 21st century, given the international stature of its creators and three co-producing companies (Lyric Opera is one)."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Fortunately for the audience, the performers kept us focused on the human side. Jessica Rivera as Kitty and Gerald Finley as Oppenheimer were by far the strongest. Their voices seemed to transcend Adams’s vocal acrobatics and turn it into more of a dance, while their physical presence on stage showed that they were, in spite of the inhuman situation, in fact, human. I did not believe, however, that Meredith Arwady’s Pasqualita was real; I felt like we both were aware that she was a singer singing on stage and being dramatic."