Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia returns to the West End in a new staging directed by Carrie Cracknell, performed in the round at the newly renovated Duke of York’s Theatre for a strictly limited season. First seen in 1993 and widely regarded as one of the finest plays of the last fifty years, it is a dazzling collision of science, poetry and romance.
The action unfolds in a single room of an English country house, moving between two centuries. In 1809, a teenage mathematical prodigy, Thomasina Coverly, and her tutor Septimus Hodge puzzle over mathematics, desire and the workings of the universe. In the present day, the writers Hannah Jarvis and Bernard Nightingale sift through the same house’s archives chasing a literary mystery involving Lord Byron. As the two timelines run side by side, the play builds towards a finale that is as intellectually thrilling as it is quietly devastating.
Why it’s worth the watch
Arcadia is often called Stoppard’s masterpiece, and this production makes the case anew. Here is why it rewards a visit:
- The writing. It is wickedly funny and profoundly moving at once, juggling chaos theory, landscape gardening and the mystery of Byron without ever losing its heart.
- The staging. Carrie Cracknell’s in-the-round production surrounds you with the action in the beautifully restored Duke of York’s Theatre.
- The cast. The company is led by Nikki Amuka-Bird and Oliver Chris, two of the finest actors on the British stage.
- The ending. Its final scene, in which past and present share the stage at once, is one of the most celebrated moments in modern theatre.
