Should it be necessary to have a Ph.D. to enjoy a play? If you said no, then by all means feel free to pass on one of the current offerings at American Players Theater in Spring Green. Well-known playwright Tom Stoppard assumes that anyone walking into a production of Arcadia should be able to draw from a breadth of knowledge that extends to advanced theories in math, science and sociology. The result is a confusing mish-mash of a production under the direction of James Bohnen.
Stoppard’s 1993 play first appeared on Broadway in 1995 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, where it was Tony nominated for Best Play. The show was revived in 2011 at the Ethyl Barrymore Theater and also received a Tony Award nomination, this time for the Best Revival of a Play. Tellingly, neither production received a single Tony Award. What makes Arcadia so damned confusing is its quick shifts between complex subjects. The play opens in the early 1800s with a young aristocrat, Tomasina (delightfully exuberant and curious as played by Rebecca Hurd), receiving lessons from her tutor, Septimus (a handsome and sly Nate Burger). It soon becomes evident that Tomasina has some notions of her own. As the play continues, one finds that her ideas about math, nature and physics are well ahead of her time.
Tomasina explains her thoughts to Septimus in one of many rambling monologues that do nothing more than let air out of the play. Unless the audience is well versed in such topics as iteration, thermodynamics, computer algorithms, and the emergence of Romanticism vs. Classicism, plus an understanding of Latin and French, the play threatens to befuddle rather than illuminate.
The play takes place in a mansion in the English countryside. Its verdant gardens cause the owner to exclaim that it evokes a vision of Arcadia. (That is, until a landscape architect transforms the languid, pastoral scene to a more rigid, socially accepted one.) The setting might evoke Arcadia to those living there, but what the audience sees –arguing, flattery, sniping and pistol duels - is exactly what one would NOT expect from the play’s title. The play, however, is filled with passion and conniving, charm, manipulation and near-violence. Its clever dialogue may impress some viewers, but it can’t replace character development. As a result, one cares nary a bit for any of the characters (with the possible exception of dear Tomasina). If the characters aren’t deeply felt, at least they distinctly drawn. The older generation is seen first, including: Tomasina’s mother, Lady Croon (a devilishly smart Tracy Michelle Arnold); an egotistical, wannabe poet, Ezra Chater (Casey Hoekstra); Richard Noakes (Gavin Lawrence), the “fashionable” landscape architect; and a sea captain (Johnny Lee Davenport). There are a couple of servants, too, but they serve mainly to deliver messages and spread gossip around the estate where the play takes place.
Interspersed between these historic scenes are ones set in today’s world, involving a second generation of Coverlys (who own the estate). As it turns out, they are no less eager to get into each other’s thongs than the earlier set was to drop their bloomers. The parallels continue. Much as the original Coverlys were annoyed by a gaggle of guests, while the current generation puts up with a host of researchers. Both generations of Coverlys gather at the same long table in one of the anterooms, so there are no discernable set changes. The fixtures and décor remain the same throughout.
One of these contemporary researchers is Hannah Jarvis (beautifully played by a brittle, no-nonsense Colleen Madden). She has just published a popular book on the estate’s gardens. She is unhappy with some of reviews her new book has received, including one by fellow researcher Bernard Nightingale (memorably played by Jim DeVita). When Nightingale shows up at the Coverly estate, he begs Chloe Coverly to change his name when mentioning him to Hannah. The truth is revealed, of course, but not before Hannah has quizzed Nightingale to the point where she realizes she has met her match. Nightingale is on a completely different quest from Hannah. While she is trying to determine the origin of a hermit who lived on the property, he is trying to establish the presence of poet Lord Byron (which the audience knows is true from watching earlier scenes).
Playwright Stoppard enjoys poking fun at the academic profession, focusing on their eagerness to make a name for themselves by pointing out of some “new” discovery. Nightingale believes he has found enough evidence to prove his theory about Lord Byron, though Hannah warns him of doing insufficient research before announcing his new information.
Even one of the Coverlys becomes fascinated by the estate’s rich history. Valentine Coverly (a spot-on, deadpan Steve Haggard) is trying to project the number of grouse that roamed the area in the 1800s. He attempts to accomplish this by noting the number of grouse killed in game books from the 1800s, and then making projections after establishing an algorithm. The playwright must be reading the audiences’ minds when one of the characters exclaims: “All this (research) is so trivial!” As the researchers come closer to grasping truths about the estate’s history, the two casts begin to merge. Since the objects on the table stay the same over time, each generation goes immediately to familiar objects of their period, whether its quill pens or laptops. As the contemporary generation begins to grasp what actually happened at the estate nearly 200 years ago, a waltz can be heard. A couple from each generation begins an awkward waltz that improves with practice, perhaps suggesting a metaphor of linking the two generations and their search for knowledge.
In sum, Arcadia would be a lot more fun to watch if playwright Tom Stoppard didn’t take the material so seriously. It wastes an excellent cast that could do far better with some other play.
