After seeing Dr. Atomic my partner and I wondered if we had missed something. Perhaps, we thought, since we were not opera connoisseurs we lacked the refined cultural education one must have to enjoy an opera of avant garde complexity. To learn what we lacked I searched for reviews that may properly edify. What a refreshing relief to read Renate Stendhal’s review. Her biting, no holds barred style was all the education I needed. Stendhal cleverly demonstrates the breadth of her knowledge regarding not only opera but its application to our culture and how one may compare and contrast Dr. Atomic to other operas–the perfect remedy for those of us who see a show that we are supposed to appreciate but don’t. Stendhal helped me recognize that my perspective that Dr. Atomic was a soulless, cacophonous, pointless mess wasn’t the result of my lack of cultural education but perhaps a lack which Sellers and Adams may wish to examine. read the column
Randall Alifano
