The Economist has jumped on the bandwagon that got started with the news of the revival of Arcadia and has published a Q&A with the play's director, David Leveaux. It's an in-depth interview and explores his interpretation of the play, in detail. Herewith:
First of all, "Arcadia" does something at a very high level that is evident in Tom's [Stoppard] other plays, but here it comes together in an authority of coherence. He takes elements, which on the face of it do not appear to be connected, and puts them in the same room and understands where they connect. That connection is largely coiled up in what Hannah Jarvis says: "It’s the wanting to know that makes us matter." Something I said to the company is that ‘we’re not really in the business of trying to transmit ideas'. The theatre of "Arcadia" exists as something more plastic: the poignancy of viral enthusiasm and emotions [behind those ideas]. It's people’s enthusiasm and passion that ultimately allow the characters to touch with a familiar strangeness across centuries. It’s something to do with the core of the play—it's fabulously un-cynical—the greater the curiosity, the more humanity these characters have. [more]
There is just one thing, a small nit: The fact checker for the blog post missed the name of one of Stoppard's most celebrate plays. In the post, the play is titled "The Right Thing." In real life, the correct title is "The Real Thing."
Oh, and, by the way, thank you Jimmy for making sure this was on my radar.
