BWW Reviews: ARCADIA at UCF - The Proof is in The Rice Pudding

The linguistics king of the stage, Mr. Stoppard is known for composing some of the most verbose plays ever produced on stage. The Coast of Utopia, a 9 hour, three play epic about Pre-Revolution Russia serves as a prime example of such loquacious writing.

Then there's Arcadia: a three hour, equally epic saga, witty comedy about how the past and future shape each other. Arcadia takes place at the lovely Derbyshire Estate in England. The play, although linear in its structure, takes place in two different centuries. The earlier period is set at the end of the Industrial Revolution and the spark of the Romanticism Era. The later period takes place in the present though this production choose to set it on the cusp of another big event, the turn of the new millenium.

In 1800, we are introduced to the 16 year old prodigy, Thomasina and her promiscuous tutor, Septimus. Abigail Cline and Eric Earley are delightfully entertaining together as they capture the style of 1800's in sophisticated costumes by Daniel M. Jones exchanging theories and ideas.

1999 brings us Hannah Jarvis and Valentine Coverly who are researching the history of Derbyshire, the Coverly line, and their own philosophical theories using the work accomplished by Thomasina. Madelyn James and Patrick Mounce in those roles display a skill set in the performing arts that is similar to Thomasina's comprehension of mathematics.

A play of this magnitude has no better home than on the stage of a University theatre, in this case University of Central Florida. Under the direction of Kate Ingram, Arcadia soars with cadence. Kate Ingram conducts this monster of a play that often intimidates. She tames the beast to make it accessible for any audience. Arcadia also fits nicely into the mainstage at UCF as the play is written with many challenging characters in their mid-twenties--some much younger than that.

While it is impossible to digest theories of thermodynamics and determinism in one evening at the theatre. One never questions the actors' comprehension of what they are saying. With the believability being the production's strongest quality, one would assume that these actors spent hours researching and appreciating such grand abstract ideas in order to portray these characters. The grand themes of physics and history Mr. Stoppard writes about are so vast that any actor performing in Arcadia automatically earns an honorary Masters Degree in English.

Still, as well versed as the director and cast may be in these subjects, the play has an unavoidable air of pompousness that's built into it which makes the humor even funnier.

I attended both Arcadia at UCF and The Explorers Club (an off the wall farce) at Mad Cow Theatre in the same weekend and was reminded of the breadth of comedy as a genre.

Arcada closes Sunday, February 1st. For tickets visit their website

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