Arcadia

by Tom Stoppard

seen at the Duke of York's Theatre on 27 August 2026

Carrie Cracknell directs Nikki Amuka-Bird as Hannah Jarvis, Oliver Chris as Bernard Nightingale, Seamus Dillane as Septimus Hodge and Isis Hainsworth as Thomasina Coverly with a supporting cast of eight in a revival of Tom Stoppard's dazzling 1993 play Arcadia, in which Hannah and Bernard, two English literature academics, are trying to reconstruct events at the Coverly estate which occurred in around 1810, in particular to determine whether Lord Byron visited and was subsequently impelled to leave the country. The audience is privileged to see, or to piece together more accurately, what in fact occurred (though Lord Byron does not appear on stage) and to witness the burgeoning mathematical talent of the soon to be 17-year-old Thomasina as she bounces ideas off her tutor Septimus.

In this production the action takes place on a circular stage which has two revolving platforms, designed by Alex Eales. The nineteenth and twentieth century scenes are intertwined allowing full play for Stoppard's characteristic cleverness at creating thematic connections which the audience may well appreciate more than the characters can. For example, Valentine Coverly (Angus Cooper), a modern scion of the Coverly family completely au fait with contemporary number theory and chaos theory, explains to Hannah why Thomasina cannot possibly have developed similar theories so long ago, even though we have just witnessed her doing so. He has all the cocky self-assurance of the modern scientist who implicitly patronises the efforts of earlier generations. Even as we ourselves can feel superior to him through what we have seen, we benefit from his explanation of these difficult theories, and Stoppard has brilliantly found a way to inform us without having Thomasina say anything anachronistically.

The play is shot through with this kind of intellectual sparkle, while also containing running jokes about English literature (and literary figures). All the while, the clandestine love affairs taking place on the Coverly estate are juxtaposed with scenes showing the ease with which they can be misconstrued by modern researchers from the meagre evidence left behind. With the enticing prospect of explaining Lord Byron's activities there is far too much danger that the "evidence" will be bent to the researcher's goal - and this can be exploded by one insignificant detail brought to light by a minor character in a most satisfying comeuppance. The affairs in the modern world, on the other hand, leave a more sour taste as Bernard is revealed to be shallow and self-centred as well as intellectually rash. Septimus Hodge back in the nineteenth century, though unscrupulous in his own way with the unfortunate (and unseen) Mrs Chater, is poignantly redeemed by his courteous refusal to take advantage of the young Thomasina at a critical juncture.

Even though the Duke of York's is a conventional West End theatre, in this production some seats were provided for the audience at the back and the sides of the stage; we occupied seats at the back and had a chance to see the auditorium's "wedding cake" decoration from the usual point of view of the actors. With the revolving platforms, and adroit direction, this somewhat artificial theatre-in-the-round approach worked well and we were not at a disadvantage. It was a pleasure to see another Stoppard revival, particularly as Arcadia is one of his greatest plays.