by Tom Stoppard
seen at the National Theatre (Dorfman) on 28 March 2015
Tom Stoppard's new play is directed by Nicholas Hytner (the retiring Artistic Director of the National Theatre) with Olivia Vinall as Hilary and Damien Molony as Spike. It is partly an examination of the 'hard problem' of the relation between consciousness and physics, with reflections on the questions of ethical goodness and the existence of God, and also on game theory as manifested in the machinations of the financial world.
The summary shows the grand themes jostling for attention in a single dramatic piece. Stoppard has an impressive track record in juxtaposing unexpected storylines to illustrate often abstruse philosophical questions while providing fizzing entertainment - see for example 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead', 'Jumpers', 'Travesties' and 'Arcadia'. Unfortunately this play is not one to add to the list.
