Arcadia is a play by Tom Stoppard that focuses on the search for truth and how everything from scientific and mathematical theories to love itself, it tries to make sense of chaos. The story intertwines two timelines, one set in the 19th century and one set in the current day as historians in the present day try to reconstruct the parallel timeline that the audience are watching.
The most striking thing about Arcadia is how well these two timelines are woven together and how up until the very last scene I was none the wiser as to how the show may unfold. Whilst the themes of the show are far-reaching, from the inevitability of time passing to the limits of human knowledge, the granular detail of the story is just as interesting as the wider concept. In 1809 we meet Thomasina, a promising mathematician and her tutor Septimus Hodge. As Thomasina’s theories develop so do the romantic entanglements of those around her. Some 200 years later in the same house academics debate what occurred and as they do so begin to fill in the blanks for themselves. Gradually the audience discovers which of their theories are right and how history can be interpreted in many ways. At a time where truth itself feels increasingly politicised, Stoppard’s fascination with evidence, interpretation and certainty feels remarkably contemporary.
Despite the action spanning 200 years and switching between the two, Carrie Cracknell’s direction ensures that the transitions are seamless and that even when the timelines begin to overlap on stage the plot remains easy to follow, even if not every mathematical or scientific theory lands. She also credits the audience with intelligence and resists the urge to spell out moments unnecessarily. She also ensures that underneath all of the theoretical conversations there is an emotional and tender payoff, that the characters on stage genuinely matter to the audience by the end of the play.
The show is cast wonderfully. In the historical timeline we have Isis Hainsworth as Thomasina and Seamus Dillane as Septimus Hodge who bounce brilliantly off each other as pupil and tutor with the slow realisation by Dillane that his pupil is beginning to outsmart him. Hainsworth balances Thomasina’s innocence with her thirst for knowledge perfectly. It is in this era that the more light-hearted moments can be found more frequently and Ezra Chater played by Matthew Steer is a perfect example of this. Hodge’s wit repeatedly leaves Chater outmanoeuvred, making his concessions to Hodge increasingly entertaining. In the present Nikki Amuka-Bird and Oliver Chris play historians Hannah Jarvis and Bernard Nightingale, two characters who frequently engage in a war of words and a fission of loathing and academic curiosity fuels their relationship and both prove utterly compelling to watch.
The set design by Alex Eales is both visually appealing and works beautifully with the flow of the play. Set in the round, with a small portion of the audience on stage the playing space is made up of two turntables set beneath an intricate lighting design of hanging globes and a structure loosely reminiscent of an atom, which often creates an ethereal feel to the play. Due to the fact that the play is in the round the set itself is kept to a minimum however the detail in the placement of various props on benches and tables placed strategically on the stage gathers complexity as the two time periods become more and more entwined.
Arcadia is a play that rewards curiosity asking the audience to grapple with complex questions without pretending that there are simple answers. This production embraces that complexity with confidence trusting the material and the audience to make the connections for themselves. Intellectually stimulating and emotionally rewarding shows that some of theatres greatest pleasures comes from being challenged.
Arcadia is currently playing at The Duke of York Theatre until September 12th. You can find out more and book tickets here.
If you like this review you might also like my review of To Kill A Mockingbird, Cyrano De Bergerac and Witness For The Prosecution.