Te Whaea Theatre
October 19-27 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

WITH ITS large cast and abundant female roles, Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece Arcadia is an apt choice for the graduating class of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School. This almost gratuitous intellectual work explores wide and ranging ideas, from the inherent value of the search for knowledge, the gradual dissipation of energy in the universe and the celebrity of academia, to the failings of the enlightenment project and the nature of ‘Truth’. Threads of physics, mathematics, literature and architecture offer pathways into detailed and revealing conversations, while a healthy narrative of romance, humour and mystery maintains theatrical momentum.

Needless to say, the occasionally esoteric script requires close attention through its tracts of philosophy and debate to grasp the jewels of thought Stoppard has on offer. It is encouraging to see the conviction and certainty with which cast engage with the material, making it apparent they have discussed and picked apart the script’s meaning with director Tim Spite. Continually poised on the ‘threshold of revelation’ – to quote Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, recently performed by the other half of graduating Toi Whakaari students – the characters grapple at profound truths, often held too-frustratingly out of reach to become verifiable.

Divided into two time periods: 1809 and the present day, Arcadia hints at the creation of myth and legend through the intellectual search for objectivity. Much like the young genius Andrew Wiles, who stumbled across Fermat’s Last Theorem when he was 10 and spent the rest of his life cracking its mystery, 13 year old Tomasina (played alternately by Natalie Medlock and Sophie Hambleton) becomes enchanted with Fermat’s puzzle, amazing her tutor, Septimus Hodge (Stephan Townshend) and disturbing her 19th century family with her precociousness. In the present day, academic Bernard Nightingale (Ryan Richards) is seeking to fill in the blanks in a mystery surrounding poet Lord Byron, which has links to Septimus Hodge and the house and world Tomasina inhabits.

Townshend is spectacularly well cast in the role of Hodge, and plays the erudite figure with consistency and maturity. His highly romanticised part exonerates the joys of intellectual rigor while dipping into pride and sexual deviance, and Townshend negotiates these shifts well, maintaining stage presence and calm throughout.

The astute writer and researcher Hannah Jarvis – rival and counterpart to Bernard Nightingale – is played with sophistication by Bryony Skillington. Hers is a wonderfully relaxed and confident performance, and her engagement with text is near complete. Jarvis’ battles – intellectual and otherwise – with the ruthless yet charming Nightingale offer chance for slips and stumbles, and while both actors miss words occasionally, by and large their exchanges are competently executed. Richards it seems has mastered the facial expressions his role requires, and adorns Nightingale with an appropriate and frighteningly ersatz smile.

Evania Vallyon deserves mention for a wonderfully evocative portrayal of wee silent boy Gus Coverly. In the role of Chloe Coverly, Lee Smith-Gibbons hams up her teenage fancy for Bernard to an extreme. While her naivety is often endearing, certain points (such as her swooning during the reading of Bernard’s speech) seem overplayed and a little stereotypical, reminiscent of Romola Garai’s Nina in the recent RSC production of The Seagull. Greater moderation and shyness could have perhaps kept this part consistent with the rest of the performances. Similarly, Antonia Bale’s Lady Croom is confidently and charmingly performed, but her enunciation and tone is a little too exaggerated and nasal at times to be comfortably received.

Set design by Chris O’Neill skillfully complements cast and script, invoking classical imagery of cartography and the historical superimposition of human-made lines on nature. The carefully painted circular calendar/compass calls forth imagery of exploration and the age of rationalism, and is thoughtfully mirrored in the round table about which the play’s events unfold. Despite the fact the near three hours of action takes place within the one room, the space created by O’Neill and his crew of constructors – Brad Cunningham and Adam Walker – feels consistently stimulating and uncluttered. Delicate costume design by Megan Fraunstein complements the space, reflecting both 19th century and contemporary settings while remaining simple and functional.

Lighting by Lucie Camp cleverly reflects certain themes of the play (for example, the shadow of intricate tree branches, looking like a series of fractals), under the expert mentorship of Natasha James. The narrowing of light to near blackout between scenes is effective in allowing the audience to prepare for a shift in tone, while keeping our attention.

While there are enough moments of ordinary dialogue in Arcadia to provide respite from the otherwise relentless – if beautiful – discussion of ideas, it is perhaps best to attend this play when in a sharp mental state; end-of-week wind down it is not. Rather this production is adeptly directed, convincing and at times impressively performed, worthwhile for its stimulating script and its exhibition of young yet accomplished and inspiring talent.