What's Wrong With Playing it Safe?

“He says his aim is poetry. One does not aim at poetry with pistols. At poets, perhaps...” 

One of the things that I often notice when watching a theatrical comedy is that there is always one actor who doesn’t quite get it. Timing is, as they say, everything, and there are some actors who can’t quite pick-up the rhythm. But I am delighted to report that this was not the case in STC’s latest production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia.

Not only did every single cast member held their own in the comedy stakes, they also managed to convincingly deliver both the poetry and convoluted mathematical concepts that riddle the script. Even Wil McDonald as Gus Coverly and Augustus Cloverly, who spent the majority of the show in silence, drew many the snicker and giggle. 

The standouts (because there are always one or two) were Ryan Corr, who delivered insult after insult with genuine relish (particularly as they flew over the heads of their intended) and Michael Sheasby, who’s portrayal of Valentine Cloverly was delightfully geeky. He handled the complex theoretical monologues with ease, and he evoked in this reviewer a genuine desire to run up and just give him a big hug.

Julie Lynch deserves an award for her beautiful costumes – it’s lovely to see period clothing in its rightful place for a change. Michael Scott-Mitchell’s set design received criticism from some because of the extremely long table which extended over the majority of the stage. However, I think the table worked to create a strong contrast between the arm’s length nature of male-female relationships in the 1800s and the cosy familiarity within which we engage with one another today. I also think he deserves credit for Plautus/Lightening, the tortoise who all but steals the show.

This was a well-produced, well-cast, well-designed show. You would think that should make an audience happy – particularly when the play is a comedy – but I couldn’t help but feel that last Wednesday night’s audience was a little faint with their applause. In the same vein as a Ron Howard film, you can’t really fault it, but it’s not something you’ll be talking about forever and a day. Maybe that’s a fault of the script, which effectively predicts the demise of the world as we know it (a bit of a downer), or maybe the Sydney theatre-going public have grown too used to controversial, out-there design and incomprehensible directorial choices. Whatever the reason, I felt alone in my admiration of the experience. Perhaps I just appreciate the pleasant change when a director plays by the book, literally.

I do have one criticism though – how come the tortoise didn’t get a bow?

Details
Viewed: 9 March 2016
Venue: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Author: Tom Stoppard
Director: Richard Cottrell
Production Company: STC