The Mistake

Direct from a three-week run off-Broadway in New York.

The dropping of the first atomic bomb is referred to on the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima as “the mistake”.

Michael Mears’s compelling and profoundly moving new play, performed by Michael and young Japanese actor Riko Nakazono, directed by Rosamunde Hutt, explores personal stories surrounding that catastrophic event.

When the decision is made to use the atomic bomb on Japan, Leo Szilard, tormented by his role in creating it, must do everything he can to prevent the catastrophe occurring.

When Shigeko Nomura, a young woman living in Hiroshima, survives her city’s destruction she must use every last ounce of energy to reach and rescue her parents.             

Two actors, one British, one Japanese, enact the compelling stories of a brilliant Hungarian scientist, a daring American pilot and a devoted Japanese daughter, in this gripping, moving and thought-provoking drama about the ‘mistake’ that launched our nuclear age. 

★★★★★ "A dramatic treat” UK Theatre Web

★★★★  "The past comes alive - a gripping piece of storytelling." The Times

★★★★ "A powerful examination of humanity in the wake of Hiroshima." The List

"The very personal accounts, particularly the use of diaries from hibakusha, make for a uniquely compelling and gripping production." British Theatre Guide