Published in The News Tribune, Jan. 15, 2016
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| Hannah (Deya Ozburn) and Valentine (Jacob Tice). Photo by Tim Johnson |
Steve Tarry, director of Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia” at
Lakewood Playhouse writes in a program note that Stoppard’s plays are
challenging, “and this one is doubly so” and presents “even greater challenges
for the audience by assuming as common knowledge that which is unfamiliar to
many.”
Lakewood Playhouse Artist Director John Munn said in his
curtain speech that it might be wise to come back for a second viewing because
to see what you missed the first time around. I have to agree. The dialogue is
dense, the story complex, and issues as challenging and diverse as fractals,
philosophy, chaos theory and romantic love are argued by the characters who
exist in two time frames, the 19th century and the present. Making
it even more complicated and provocative, the two time periods converge in the
final scene.
It is brilliantly written, funny, and thought provoking.
Close attention must be paid. And I must warn the reader that you may not
understand all of it.
The scenes that take place in the past revolve around
Thomasina (Kait Mahoney), a precocious 13-year-old in the first act and 16 in
later scenes (to be more precise, she says she is 13 years and 11 months in the
early scene and 16 years and 11 months later) and her tutor, Septimus Hodge
(Mason Quinn). Both actors make their characters likable –downright loveable in
the case of Thomasina, who as a child shows marked signs of genius,
understanding chaos theory and the second law of thermodynamics before either
is established theory. A good example of her genius is her explanation of how
time works both backwards and forwards with an analogy of pudding that can’t be
"unstirred."
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| From left: Septimus (Mason Quinn),Ezra (Ben Stahl) and Capt. Brice (Michael Christopher). Photo by Tim Johnson. |
Thomasina and Septimus argue good-naturedly about philosophy
and physics and “carnal embraces.” From the beginning there are hints of erotic
attraction between them. Erotic attraction, in fact, is a major subtext
throughout the play, and the subject of many of the funniest one-liners.
Scenes that take place in present time flow around similar
arguments – but much more acrimonious and sarcastic – between the writer Hannah
Jarvis (Deya Ozburn) and the self-important English professor Bernard
Nightingale (Jed Slaughter), who argue endlessly over Nightingale’s theory that
the romantic poet Lord Byron killed the lesser poet Ezra Chater (Ben Stahl) in
a duel.
Ozburn and Slaughter shine white hot in their scenes
together, as does Jacob Tice as Valentine Coverly, a modern-day mathematician
who is studying old documents that point to the genius of Thomasina. (He is the
main lynchpin connecting the past and present, which become indistinguishable
in the final scene.)
The supporting cast is also terrific, particularly Michael
Christopher as Captain Brice, Jenifer Rifenbery as Lady Croom, and Charlie Stevens
as Augustus Coverly and his present-day counterpart, Gus Coverly. Stevens does
more with less than any actor I’ve seen in a long time. I can’t imagine any
other actor turning and walking off stage so hilariously.
“Arcadia” is not an easy play to watch. It is long, and
the interconnected story lines are hard to follow; but in the end they come
together making order out of chaos, another major theme of this play. I
recommend reading the script or researching it as best you can before seeing
it.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Jan.
3
WHERE: Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center
Blvd., LakewoodTICKETS: $25.00, $22.00 military, $21.00 seniors and $19.00 students/educators,
pay what you can
INFORMATION: 253-588-0042, www.lakewoodplayhouse.org
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