Play highlights Stoppard’s wit as well as his intellect
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George Spurling (right) performs the role of Royal Navy Captain Brice in Tom Stoppard’s ‘Arcadia’.
Sir Tom Stoppard’s ‘Arcadia’ is the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society’s latest theatrical offering.
The award-winning production features characters living in modern times, as they attempt to solve a mystery that happened in a house in the early 1800s.
“It is all about life and death in Sidley Park, a fictional house in Derbyshire,” said visiting Canadian director Terry Tweed. “Really, the audience is the most knowledgeable thing in the room. They know much more about what is going on than the characters themselves. The audience is always ahead of the game.”
George Spurling plays the role of Captain Brice, a Royal Navy Captain.
He said the bouncing back and forth between time periods made it interesting and fun to perform.
“You are not just regurgitating lines, but also learning a lot about the time period you are in,” said Mr Spurling. “Tom Stoppard has done a lot of research for this play. He goes into great depth to explore questions of self-determination. He looks at questions like ‘are we headed to an infinite end of the universe, as we know it’.”
Added Ms Tweed: “I know people always go on and on about Stoppard’s intellectual brilliance. Yes, he is intellectual, but he is also very funny.”
Mr Spurling said the play displayed Mr Stoppard’s light wit and there was often quick back-and-forth banter between the characters.
Bermudian Will Kempe will play the role of Bernard Nightingale.
Mr Kempe has performed on soap operas such as ‘All My Children’ and episodes of popular crime series ‘Law & Order’.
He was commuting back and forth between New York and Bermuda to carry out his acting career, but is now more settled on the Island where he works in real estate.
“Bernard is bouncy on his feet, and neurotic,” said Mr Kempe of his character. “He is arrogant, reckless, greedy and shallow. He is looking for the quick fix and looking for fame.”
“‘Arcadia’ is a great play. The only reason I agreed to do it for BMDS is that I have never done a Stoppard play. I also heard that Terry was great, and she is. It is a lot of words and a lot of work. It is a different framework doing an amateur production where everyone works all day and then comes in and works from 6pm until 10pm. It is very different from when it is your job and you have union breaks and everything is highly regulated.”
The play runs Thursday through July 14 at the Daylesford Theatre at 8pm. Tickets, $30, are available from the box office on weekdays from 5.30pm to 7pm or by calling 292-0848.
Tickets are also available online, at www. bmds.bm, and one hour prior to curtain.
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Published Jul 4, 2012 at 7:55 am (Updated Jul 4, 2012 at 7:55 am)