Arcadia 2009 poster
I had a chance to see a preview matinee of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia yesterday at the Duke of Yorks Theatre London, directed by David Leveaux and starring Samantha Bond, Neil Pearson and Dan Stevens. (Those were the only actors I recognised from TV anyway although all were excellent!)
Arcadia concerns the goings on in a stately home in 19th Century Derbyshire, and also the family and guest academics of the home 200 years on as they attempt to uncover the truth. Throughout the play, scenes from both periods are set next to each other, as props introduced in the past are left on set to become the historical artifacts the academics rely on to piece the past together. As we are bounced backwards and forwards in time, scene by scene we gradually learn more about what happened in the past, while the follies and entanglements of the characters in past and present play out, with mathematics and personalities remaining the central concepts that life weaves around whatever the period.
Thomasina is a gifted 13-year old girl who continually badgers her tutor Septimus with questions about mathematics, philosophy and the meaning of ‘carnal embrace’, while he is in love with her mother but getting it on with a married (and unseen) friend of her uncle, and in constant jealousy of his friend, Lord Byron.
In the present the academics include an enthusiatic Byron researcher, another researching the gardens of the house and in particular, the mystery of the hermit that lived in the gardens for 20 years, and a mathematics student trying to derive iterative algorithms from the records of grouse shot in the grounds.
If the concept sounds confusing it doesn’t come across like that on stage – I’ve been more confused by Desperate Housewives flashback episodes – and all performances were spot on, although some of the minor parts were a little too minor to be completely satisfying. I thought Dan Stevens as Septimus was particularly good, especially at the comedic elements. A couple of script slip-ups were too dexterously covered-up to be significant, and the set (the play only takes place in one room) is realistic, adds to the atmosphere and feels like an extension of the theatre itself.
I’m not generally a theatregoer and so can’t critique as such, but in short I thoroughly enjoyed the entire performance and didn’t drop off once. My mum enjoyed it as well although she didn’t understand the mathematical bits so don’t let that put you off! Arcadia opens on the 11th June 2009 for a limited run.
