Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard

Directed by Rebecca Greene Udden

Arcadia moves effortlessly back and forth between 1809 and the present day at the elegant estate owned by the Coverly family. The 1809 scenes reveal a household in transition. As the Arcadian landscape is being transformed into picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with a hermitage, young Lady Thomasina and her tutor delve into highly intellectual ideas while passion intrigue dances around them. Present day scenes depict the Coverly descendants and two competing scholars who are researching a possible scandal at the estate in 1809 involving Lord Byron. This brilliant play explores – with great humor and deep heart – the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex and passion – the attraction Newton left out.

“Pure entertainment for the heart, mind, soul…It is a work shot through with fun, passion and, yes, genius.” – The New York Post

“Stoppard’s richest, most ravishing comedy, a play of wit, intellect, language, brio and…emotion. It’s like a dream of levitation: you’re instantaneously aloft, soaring, banking, doing loop the loops… The playwright is a daredevil pilot who’s steady at the controls.” – The New York Times

“Full of complex ideas and pleasures one expects from this master of dramatic composition.” – Time Out New York