Arcadia

Arcadia

Arcadia

Two generations are joined together by a familiar setting in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, soon to be appearing at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. We go back in time to 1809 for one generation, then once we are familiar with the stately home in Derbyshire, we go forward 180 years to the late 1980s as the mysteries of Lord Byron are unravelled in a play where romanticism and classicism collide. The cast, spanning nearly 200 years consists of Nancy Carroll, Jessie Cave, Neil Parson, Dan Stevens and Ed Stoppard, who will all be working under the direction of David Levaux

The play begins during the time period of 1809 to 1812, where we follow the student Thomasina Colverly, a gifted and intelligent character. As the daughter of the house she has an insight into the world of the stately home whilst she studies under Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron. As well as the house, she also has insights in the world of mathematics – far beyond the knowledge of others her age. From her point of view the setting in Derbyshire is indeed a mysterious place, holding people with secret desires, hidden passions and rivalries that go by unseen to most around her.

When the next time period opens the stately home still remains, but now it is 1989, 180 years after Colverly graced the corridors of this building. We open just as an academic and a writer arrive at the home in the forms of Bernard Nightingale and Hannah Jarvis respectively. They receive the help of another Coverly, this time in the form of Valentine, a post graduate student who works with them to uncover a hidden part of Lord Byron’s life. What they find is a world of many truths in this old, stately house, including some of the secrets that Thomasina discovered so many generations prior. It is a play in which the past and the present work together to discover the secrets of the past, showing how the world that we inhabit today is starkly different to the one 200 years ago. But one thing has remained – the relationship between the known and the unknown.

How we interpret history becomes a major theme as the story progresses, with themes that have captivated audiences since the early nineties. It first appeared at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1993 with Felicity Kendal in a starring role and has since gone on to win awards (such as the Laurence Olivier Award for best play in 1993) and appear on Broadway. Whilst in New York in 1995 it was housed at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre and starred Paul Giamatti. Now it arrives at the Duke of York’s Theatre ready for a new generation to re-interpret the events of history.

Arcadia is at the Duke of York’s Theatre, where it is booking from Thursday 11th June 2009 (previews from Wednesday 27th May 2009) until Saturday 12th Sep 2009.