The ending of Tom Stoppard’s greatest play of the 20th Century, now in previews at the Barrymore, Arcadia, where two couples waltz on the stage, separated by 200 hundred years, is one of the most stunning things you will ever see in a theatre. This isn’t hyperbole, Vincent Canby, reviewing the Lincoln Center production in 1993 said essentially the same thing.
The Lincoln Center production, which I saw four times, was better. Or maybe it was better. As I mentioned, the production is still previews and they may iron own the problems before it opens.
The story, about literature, maths and sex and sex and sex and sex, takes place on one stage and moves between 1907 in a room at an English estate, and the same room some two hundred years later. The only witness to both a turtle… and the audience.
In 1807, Septimus Hodge is tutoring child math protegee and daughter of the manor Thomasina Coverly. Septimus has invited his friend, Lord Byron down for the weekend.
Two hundred years later Bernard Nightingale is visiting tbe manor to try and discover if and why Lord Byron had been there. And misinterpreting everything that had happened.
The scenes move seamlessly from one time period to the other till they move with a lovely piano playing a German waltz.
The problems are the male actors. The females are the equal of 1993’s cast.
Raul Esparza is too old for the son of the manor. Otherwise he is fine. The same can’t be said for Tom Riley’s Septimus, which is off a beat, particularly in the awkward seduction scene Lady Croom. He should have asked Billy Crudup, who was perfection in the 1993 production in that role. As Bernard Nightingale, Crudup is terrible at the start with eccentric, poor, mannered acting decisions which he better think about long and hard. Victor Garber was infinitely eriorin the earlier production.
But like I said, it is in previews and that is what previews are for.
The performance survives it all, of course and is a must see for theatre and waltz loves everywhere.