Doctor Atomic

We saw the Met HD telecast of John Adams "Doctor Atomic" on Saturday, and though I would love to see Gerald Finley, Sasha Cooke or (especially) Thomas Glenn in something else, I'm afraid the opera itself is just not that impressive. Because the show is constructed not of dialog but written excerpts from the Trinity participants' memoirs or diaries, there is no real drama in the libretto.
Instead, "Doctor Atomic" felt less like a classical opera than an unfunny revue, with songs that work like interlaced monologues. That's why a few scenes seem to soar, like the "Batter My Heart" aria that ends Act I, while most lay inertly, like the interminable bedroom sequence that precedes it. I just sat there pleading for one dramatic moment while Cooke and Finley sang at each other. Finally it took all my will power to keep from standing up and yelling, "Make out, fight... do something goddamn it!" at the screen.