Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Theater Review: Arcadia


Broadway Debut Performance Highlights Arcadia

By Lauren Yarger

Nothing – and everything – is certain in Arcadia, Tom Stoppard’s smart, intelligent play mixing the past and present, both in the plot and physically with the present-day Broadway revival of the 1995 Tony award winner. As characters from 1809 and 1993 intertwine and blend in the story, this version has the satisfying additional connection between past and present productions with original cast member Billy Crudup returning to play a different role this time around.

Crudup is totally engaging as the present-day Bernard Nightingale, a scholar who arrives at an English country house to explore its connection to Lord Byron. He collaborates with Hanna Jarvis (Lia Williams), an author who has written a best-selling book about Byron’s mistress, who also is at the house to conduct research to discover the identity of the illusive hermit who once lived on the grounds. They are joined there by Chloe Coverly (Grace Gummer). The current daughter of the house, her brother and mathematician Valentine (Raul Esparza), and their younger brother, Gus (Noah Robbins), who doesn’t speak, but who has a crush on Hannah.

Together they research old documents and landscape drawings left by the estate’s architect Richard Noakes (Byron Jennings –such an appropriate-sounding name to be cast in this production….) for clues as to the identity of the hermit and other mysteries about the lives and loves of the 1809 occupants of the house and why Lord Byron might have visited there.

In opposing scenes, the lives of those past inhabitants are played out and we discover that history isn't always as accurate as we think. Thomasina Coverly (Bel Powley in a dynamite Broadway debut) discusses algebraic and other scientific theories with her tutor, Septimus Hodge (a wonderful Tom Riley in the role originated in the 1995 show by Crudup). Hodge is called out for his affair with the wife of Ezra Chater (David Turner), a talentless poet who quickly forgets the duel when Septimus promises to praise his work in a review. Hodge’s real affections are directed where they can’t be returned: to Lady Croom (Margaret Colin), Thomasina’s mother. Lady Croom’s brother, Captain Brice (Glenn Fleshler), Thomasina’s brother Augustus (also played by Robbins) and the butler, Jellaby (Edward James Hyland) round out the cast form the past.

The scenes play out on Hildegard Bechtler’s simple, but towering set, lighted by Donald Holder, like paintings on a canvas. Gregory Gale’s costumes are perfect and past and present blend on the same set with props used throughout thr two time periods (love the turtle). Particularly delightful is a scene toward the end where all of the characters are in the house at once, waltzing or turning the pages of the same books simultaneously. It’s a lovely play, but the revival is flawed in a few places.

Like the dichotomy he’s directing, Director David Leveaux has cast two groups of actors: one that’s perfect and another that seems miscast. In the past sequences, Powely and Riley shine and make you almost sad to leave them to have to journey to the future. Powley is a powerhouse, expertly portraying Thomasina as a delightful, innocent girl who can cry, “Goodie” at one moment, then let lose the genius able to unmask complicated scientific theories about heat exchange and time. She’s thoroughly delightful and engaging and Riley is the perfect balance as the carefree tutor trying not to get too serious about anything, but increasingly amazed by his pupil’s abilities. The rest of the 1809 group is fine, except for Colin. Though her delivery of humorous lines is good, she is miscast and looks awkward.

In the present, Crudup mops up the stage, leaving the less exciting Esparza and Williams in the dust while the miscast Gummer strikes various poses trying to find some place to fit in. In addition, some of the high-clipped English accents employed by some of the actors are very difficult to understand many lines are lost. It’s a shame, because Arcadia is a lovely play well worth its two-hour-and-45-minute run time.

It plays at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St., NYC through June 19. Discounted tickets are available at http://www.givenik.com/show_info.php/Masterworks/300/individual Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• God’s name taken in vain
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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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