Theatre Review: Arcadia
Arcadia
A Mermaids Production
25/03/2025- 26/03/2025
Directed by Aidan Monks and Millie Chew
Produced by Maria Kondratova
Written by Tom Stoppard
Reviewed by Mali Delargy
Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia is a maddening labyrinth of intellectual unknowns, their pursuit and the messy human ‘noise’ that accompanies the process of discovery. As the elegantly dressed aristocrats of the 1810s semantically waltz through ideas of determinism, landscape architecture and carnal desire, pivoting around the tutorage of Septimus Hodge (Dylan Swain), the academics of the 1990s follow in their paper trail to uncover the events of a Byronic duel. From Sidley Park to the Byre Theatre, Aidan Monks and Millie Chew bring fresh enthusiasm to Stoppard’s ruminations in what can only be described as a greatly anticipated and wonderfully executed production.
Famous for his elaborately precise stage directions, Stoppard would have been pleased to see his vision most faithfully achieved. The simple, symmetrical layout of the room brought the space together, allowing for the centrepiece of the cluttered table to accumulate its objects and exchange between time periods gracefully. For this, appreciation must go to Lucy Wagner as Stage Manager and Prop Master. The harmony of the set was not only visual but auditory also, for which Annalise Roberts (Sound design), Georgina Duncan (Pianist) and Dylan Swain (Music Director) may be admired.
A play with such an overflowing script must be cast well, with actors who can maintain an audience’s attention and sustain their suspension of disbelief. I highly commend Margo Anderson as Thomasina Coverly and Lexie Dykes as Hannah Jarvis, who both live up to this demand. They both delivered convincing and emotionally insightful portrayals of their character, with stage presence to match. These rebellious female characters are what drive the plot in both time periods. They are the outside thinkers, but it is left to the audience to decide are they the lunatics in the wilderness or the banished enlightenment?
My appreciation for opinionated characters and entertaining delivery, however, does not end there. Aubrey McCance, as Bernard Nightingale, brought to life a character often portrayed as a stuffy old academic set in his ways. While he most certainly remained so, he became a hilariously flamboyant, mercilessly condescending and brilliantly volatile figure on stage, commanding the room’s attention and filling it with laughter. In turning a Nightingale into a Peacock, McCance’s ingenuity paid off.
While there were a handful of dry moments or slip-ups, including a set malfunction with the doors becoming increasingly difficult to open, these were all minor blips which the audience was more than happy to overlook. For a play so entangled with its own ideas, the actors did wonderfully to draw the audience into its academic discussions as well as its romance and literary scandal. This can be partly attributed to the comic relief offered by Captain Brice (Luke Robinson) and Ezra Chater (Geordie Coles), whose welcome buffoonery breaks the tension of the play. While Chater’s character might be important to the academics of the 1990s, he can only be laughed at otherwise. His makeup, thanks to Valerie Hernandez-Vallejo, ingeniously made him both a clown and a high-fashion Georgian.
This student production is a beautiful rendition of Stoppard’s absurd tragicomedy, handled thoughtfully and with enthusiasm. For those less familiar with Stoppard, I would suggest a quick look into determinism, Fermat’s Last Theorem and the Picturesque before heading to tonight’s production at the Byre. I am determined you will not regret it.
