June 25, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Love and physics

by Jeanie Forte

Stoppard's most lyrical play, "Arcadia," transports us into the heady world of scholarly inquiry in the fields of science, philosophy, mathematics and literature. His engaging debates in these fields, taken up by various characters in the play, broach thorny questions, including challenges in physics and literary biography. But it's not just a mental exercise. At the core of the play lies an inquiry into the most puzzling mystery of all-- the human heart.

The unusual setting spans two centuries on an English country estate, acquainting us with the inhabitants and guests of the manse in the early 1800s, and again in the present day. As if on a pendulum, we swing from century to century with each scene change, catapulting forward and backward in time, as if the progression of time is an illusion of convenience and that all time is simultaneous -- the worlds of past and present coterminous.

We first meet characters from the early 1800s: an attractive and intelligent young girl, Thomasina Coverly (Alison Walla), and her tutor, Septimus Hodge (Christopher Kelly). Thomasina's lessons in science and math set the foundation for her intellectual leap of thought into modern day physics and the crucial challenge to Newton's world. Thomasina's budding womanhood, however, occupies her mind to a far greater degree -- with lively comic effect. She also observes precociously that her tutor is in love with her mother, Lady Croom (Amanda Moody) -- some recent shenanigans with the wife of a houseguest to the contrary.

The next scene swings into the future, where we meet the descendants of the Coverlys and their houseguest, Hannah Jarvis (Jennifer Erin Roberts), a scholar bent on uncovering the secrets and metaphors embedded in the history of the English garden. A rival visiting scholar, Bernard (J. Paul Boehmer), is convinced that the poet Byron sported (in more ways than one) at the estate, and the proof of it will cement his scholarly fame. Scientist Val Coverly (Kai Morrison) attempts to find the precise mathematical formula that will capture a pattern of the changing grouse population in England, using the centuries of gaming books housed in the manse library. He also happens to be in love with Hannah.

The action unfolds, layer upon layer, building our knowledge of the past while we see the present characters trying to piece together history from meager documents. Sometimes their speculations are amusingly incorrect, but other times they provide illumination.

The scientific and mathematical investigations also build toward revelation, bringing us into the rich and complex world of post-Newtonian physics and chaos theory.

As one might imagine, this involves a lot of talk-- there's a fair amount of exposition, especially in the first act, in order to set up the various relationships and plot interconnectedness. Add to this upper-crust British accents, and the dialogue becomes, on occasion, exceedingly difficult to understand and follow. I would have willingly sacrificed a little dialect accuracy in favor of clearer speech.

Act One, scene two, is perhaps the most challenging along these lines, as Bernard and Hannah face off as dueling scholars. Each has the task of describing at length the nature of their inquiry and their discoveries. The tedium might be banished if there were more prickliness between these rivals; we need to feel the competition as well as the emerging sexual tension in the room.

Throughout, it feels as though a misplaced reserve flattens too many emotional connections: Lady Croom and Septimus seem nothing more than friendly acquaintances, rather than two people who harbor desire for each other. When Septimus and Thomasina later connect, it comes a little out of the blue, having not seen any prior sparks between them. Bernard's lust for Chloe Coverly (Jessica Chisum) is also too understated, and loses some of its shock appeal since Chisum appears close enough in age to Bernard for acceptability-- if she were younger, or he older (or more lascivious), their escapade would have more scandalous effect.

Overall, the actors are quite capable. Kelly as Hodge is an especially appealing incarnation, suitably wry and yet filled with unrequited yearning. He perfectly captures the sensibility of someone with larger hopes trapped in limitations, who steals what moments he can, and has enough goodness in him to suffer a sad fate. Walla's Thomasina voice at 13 annoys a little, but she mellows into a lovely young woman of 16, full of life and promise.

Morrison as Valentine strikes just the right note as the earnest scientist, passionate about his work and resigned to Hannah's indifference. Mark A. Phillips, a TheatreWorks regular, does a superb turn as the put-upon Mr. Chater, a would-be poet with a promiscuous wife. And Will Brill, a local young actor, gives an accomplished and convincing performance in two roles, as Gus and Augustus Coverly.

Moody's Croom is appropriately high class and commanding, delightfully expressive and mischievous, but I would have liked a little more elegance and softer edges, to make her appeal for Septimus more plausible. Her transition into accepting his advances doesn't ring true as the characters are currently staged.

Boehmer as Bernard and Roberts as Hannah are clearly well-cast and capable of doing their characters justice; occasionally we get glimpses of their acting prowess, as in Bernard's practice lecture, or Hannah's awkward denial of Val's affection. Too often there are missed opportunities, in their complicated relationship as well as their connections (or lack thereof) with others.

The set by Duke Durfee deserves special mention: a spacious, airy sunroom, ornate and stately, with one massive table and a few chairs, contains all the action, standing itself as a metaphor for the transparency of time. The passage of centuries between scenes is hauntingly realized, with enchanting cascades of leaves through a metamorphosing sky. Cliff Caruthers' sound design entirely matches the mood of the play.

This is one of my all-time favorite plays, for the scope of its themes and clever construction, and for its touching, sometimes achingly beautiful, heart. TheatreWorks' production emphasizes the intellectual content over the heart, bringing in a solid hit, but not quite sailing it out of the park.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.