Arcadia

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

History, science, and mathematics cross 180 years converging inquisitive minds in the magnificent production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia produced by Firehouse Theatre Company in the John Hand Theatre.

Jamie Ann Romero, Jono Waldman, Gregory Adams and Terry Ann Watts in Firehouse Theater Company’s Arcadia. Photo by Brian Miller

Christopher Leo’s direction with the stalwart cast mesmerizes with distinguished characterizations and precise movement. The babble, intellectual exchanges, gossipy wonderings, defined accusations embroiled in ego desperations grab the imagination from the get-go.

Jamie Ann Romero’s artistic ability to embody a 13-year-old child is truly amazing as Thomasina Coverly. Living at Sidley Park in 1809 England, Thomasina’s thirst for knowledge and understanding compels her curiosity into perpetual investigation. A mixture of rice pudding even grabs her attention. Inspired by her tutor, Septimus Hodge, stirringly played by Jono Waldman, Thomasina refuses to allow doomsday attitudes interfere with her flaming theories. When doomed conversation takes over, she announces “Oh, phooey to death”. Romero brings her so alive, there is the wanting to reach across the years to touch, know her, converse with her.

In an elegant fashion, Septimus prides himself on his ability to inspire.

Today’s teachers, instructors and professors could learn so much from him, raising an intriguing question. How many of the skillions of high school drop outs have a Thomasina living within them that have never been brought to life simply because education lacks inspiration?

That may have nothing to do with the play, Arcadia. Stoppard may have never entertained that thought, but it definitely is a by-product that grabbed me as I became caught up in Romero and Waldman’s presentation of Thomasina and Septimus.

In the middle of the engaging conversation between child and tutor, Ezra Chater bursts into the room accusing Septimus of insulting his wife. Played by Jason Maxwell, Chater maintains an English gentleman’s stance. With the same elegance he employs with Thomasina, Septimus responds “No, I made love to your wife in the gazebo.”

Lord Byron, an unseen guest at Sidley Park, and a friend of Septimus, creates a strange mystery of intrigue and murder.

The simple set designed by Brian Miller points toward elegance without overwhelming the stage with busy-ness.

Scenes alternate between 1809 and 2008. Hannah Jarvis, a writer, played with extraordinary wonderment and inquisitiveness by Terry Ann Watts, stays at Sidley Park investigating a hermit who lived there. Her research becomes annoyingly interrupted by the arrogant Bernard Nightingale richly projected by Gregory Adams. Guarding theories of his own, he knows it all, defending his ego against the confident woman writer.

Bernard a professor of literature seeks to unravel threads of mystery in the life of Lord Byron gnarled by 180 years. Who killed Ezra Chater? Who was the hermit living at Sidley Park? (Who killed Cock Robin?) How does the mathematical, scientific theories of 180 years ago play into the entire scheme? How do the Coverly’s of 180 years ago feed into and influence the lives of the Coverly’s of 2008?

Stoppard’s magnificently written play demands intense attentiveness to keep up with the myriad of information flying back and forth between 1809 ad 2008. Leo’s clarity of vision and the strength and power of the 12 actors playing 13 roles keeps the issues from intellectual digressions to emotional entanglements crystal clear.

Noah Wilson not only plays Augustus Coverly in 1809, but Gus, the young mute harboring a crush on Hannah in 2008. In a sense he seems to go beyond Stoppard tying humanity and the commonality of the human experience together. Leaves one pondering the influence of our own ancestors, the magical quality of reaching across the years to experience history, to sense a part of that which has gone on before us.

Sharon McClaury’s costume design for the two time periods matches the various personalities along with the lighting design of Brian Billings turning the production into a whole entity, wrapped up in Marshal Arnold’s haunting original music.

Props employed by the time periods are deliberately left on the long table taking center stage in both arenas. This has an intriguing effect on ghosts from the past and an inclination of what is to come.

The struggle of wills between Hannah and Bernard become paramount in the throes of intellectual research. Valentine Coverly, strongly played by Ryan Everett Howard, irritates Bernard with his feeding the tortoise, Lightening, sitting on one end of the table. “It’s lunchtime” he coolly responds, giving the tortoise more attention than he does Bernard. Valentine, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology offers strong assistance toward the scant clues left 180 years before. He has some pertinent facts, without bowing to Bernard’s inflated ego.

The clash of personalities provides recognizable humor in conjunction with the serious meeting of the minds.

The on going nitty gritty of everyday life wraps itself snugly between history’s creases as energized by Chloe Coverly (Amber Louise Davis). Davis plays her as a semi-dumb blond consumed with her own interests, periodically interjecting pertinent questions. Bernard assumes Byron was visiting at the time. With a flip of her blond hair, Chloe simply asks, “How do you know?” Out of the mouths of innocence comes the urge for deeper research, intense thought.

In 1809, Michael Marlow as the staunch Butler, Jellaby, attempts to keep the guests, beside Chater, accountable. Richard Noakes, projected by Dell Domnick, gives detailed attention to the garden, while Captain Brice, R.N., (Austin Terrell) gives detailed attention to wherever he happens to be. Herein lies a grand interplay for those living in their own world while stretching into time and space.

Stoddard’s ingenious piece of work intertwines thoughts and experiences into a tower of levels for this production, and they all work. The test of the production lies with the perception, comprehension, and expertise of director, cast, and crew. Firehouse theatre claims it with Leo, the awesome cast of actors, and creative crew behind the scenes. It would be relatively easy to turn this masterpiece into a mish mash of confusion. Doesn’t happen. Not with this production. It’s brilliant, compelling, intriguing, discouraging spiders from weaving webs in the brain, to flood the psyche with overwhelming appreciation for basic human nature.

In a few scenes the years melt together as both periods of time exist side by side. The last scene, because in spite if it, it is always time to dance as expressed by Thomasina when flooded with negative influences, The Waltz leaves one breathless.

Not to be missed under any circumstances. Stoddard raises the bar for playwrights, and Firehouse Theatre sits right beside him on that bar.