Pigeons! Sex! Literature!

[pegkerr]

I went to see Arcadia at Theatre in the Round tonight. It was rather a last-minute thing, and so I didn't ask any members of the play-reading group to go along with me (although I would have enjoyed their company), because I'd called the theater, and they said they were sold out, but if I came they might have one or two seats that went unclaimed. And so they did, and I got to enjoy the play. The Theatre in the Round is a rather small house, but their round stage works wonderfully well for this play, and I really had a delightful evening.

I felt fortunate that I've read the play before, as Stoppard's word play can be quite intricate at times. I think we did it maybe twice in the play reading group. The reading I remember the best, Mike Ford (John M. Ford, that is) read Septimus Hodge. eileenlufkin read Thomasina, and pameladean read Hannah Jarvis. I remember that kijjohnson was visiting from out of town, and so was able to come to the meeting, and she read the odious Bernard Nightengale. (I remember well her reading of Bernard's crie de coeur when he realized his carefully elaborated theory about Lord Byron has dissolved into a shambles before him: "Fucked by a dahlia!" How we roared.) I don't remember what part elisem read. Maybe Lady Croom? Nor do I remember whom I read. Perhaps the cuckolded Chater. ("You demand satisfaction, sir? First Mrs. Chater demands satisfaction, then you demand satisfaction. I haven't got the leisure to be fulfilling all these Chater requests for satisfaction." Or something rather like that.)

That's one thing about being in a play-reading group with Mike Ford; he's so good that he can spoil parts for you when you hear them performed by anyone else. Still, this Septimus had the knack of commanding the stage, and was convincingly virile. And of course, he has such marvelous lines. The woman playing Hannah was quite natural, too, and of course, the guy playing Bernard had a ball, but that's really a scene-eating part, so it's understandable.

I really must get a copy of that play and re-read it occasionally because I like it so well. I didn't cry at the ending as I rather hoped I would, and I did when we read it in the group. If any of you locals go see it, let me know what you thought.

Comments

[kayselkiemoon.livejournal.com]

oh! I adore this play! it was performed last year at my college, and i fell in love. i cried at the end. need to buy the script and read it, sometime. that and Christopher Dry's the lady's not for burning, another play i met at school. lovely!

[lcohen]

i love arcadia!

i saw it at the goodman (in chicago) and sobbed and sobbed at the end--so lyrical. i love the way stoppard uses language--as he puts more emotion in and is less the clever trickster, i love his stuff more and more.

et in Arcadia ergo...

[diony.livejournal.com]

I love that play so much -- I've seen it three times now, the most recent one time done by amateurs in a tiny tiny local theatre, and it was simply lovely. The best Hannah I'd seen, and a very natural Thomasina, but I found Septimus a little too unsure of himself for my tastes.

"Oh no! Not the gazebo!"

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

We're going tonight.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Yah, and I hope that intricate language doesn't make it impossible for me to follow the story. Not having read the play, nor any Stoppard play, I do not know what to expect.

K.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Do let me know what you think of it!

Cheers,
Peg

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Well, lessee: throughout the play, I was aware of the polarity lcohen mentioned about the clever trickster and the emotional writer, and I wanted a couple of times to shake the trickster with a loud "All right already. I get it." Not that the smirky fun was lost on me; I laughed a great deal and enjoyed myself very much. But the story was sometimes weighed down under the weight of the fabulousness of being clever and I find that irksome pretty much every time I cross paths with it.

There are several reasons, possibly even interesting reasons, for this reaction of mine, but the margins here are too small to contain them.

K.

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

I saw that play completely randomly in my hometown (Toledo) -- the local Repertory theatre did it. There was this sort of student-ticket thing going on, and it said "play by Tom Stoppard". I was a total Ros & Guil nut, so I got a ticket (and ended up going with someone I really would rather not have gone with, but at least he was intelligent). I'd never read it before, or even heard of it, but I cried at the end. It wasn't even THAT great of a performance, but it was . . . I think the strength of the words carried it. I remember the people sitting in front of us making some completely stupid and irrelevant comments. (They didn't get it.) I think they even left at intermission. I wouldn't have left for the world!

I also love "The Lady's Not for Burning", but that's because of pameladean's Tam Lin.

[kayselkiemoon.livejournal.com]

I also love "The Lady's Not for Burning", but that's because of pameladean's Tam Lin.

an excellent reason for loving the play. *grin* I love going through PD's Tam Lin and listing all the glorious references.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this website, the Annotated Dean? It's a great help!

Cheers,
Peg

Kij

[cloudscudding.livejournal.com]

I blame you for your talk of kijjohnson. I saw Fudoki, thought "hey, that's an interesting cover," followed by "that's the writer pegkerr is friends with." Before I knew what I was doing I had picked it up. Not that that's a bad thing; I'm enjoying reading it.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Hurray! Another convert. I also recommend the one before that, The Fox Woman.

[haniaw.livejournal.com]

I went to see Arcadia in London, England a couple of years ago. I thought it was fabulous -- I laughed out loud a great deal. It didn't hurt that I got half-price tickets and was seated front row centre.

Now that I have been reminded of how much I enjoyed it, I have just picked up a copy at the local library so that I can read it and enjoy it again.

...Hania

[eileenlufkin.livejournal.com]

That was one of the best playreadings ever. Thank you for reminding me. Martin and I are going to see it at TRP this Sunday.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Do let me know what you think of it.
Cheers,
Peg