A fitting tribute to the late Tom Stoppard

The Old Vic

Arcadia is widely considered to be Tom Stoppard‘s greatest play. Set in the 1800s and the 1990s, the play covers science, landscape design, writing and human attraction. It fizzes with ideas but is imbued with a strong sense of humanity.  Alex Eales‘ revolving set, in the round, the way the two periods pan out in parallel. The critics were largely overwhelmed by the play and Carrie Cracknell‘s production, but some found Stoppard too clever by half. The cast were highly praised, with Isis Hainsworth in particular attracting attention.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis described the play and the production: ‘This prodigious, teemingly intelligent, breezily witty 1993 play by Tom Stoppard packs in more challenging matter than most writers would attempt in a lifetime but has the seeming effortlessness of pure entertainment. It embraces thermodynamics, poetry, landscape design, sex and much more besides, in parallel timelines set in the 1990s and the early 1800s in one room of a Derbyshire country house. Carrie Cracknell’s superbly cast and elegantly realised in-the-round revival is a fitting tribute to the genius of Stoppard’.

Matt Wolf at The Arts Desk gave the detailed analysis of a devotee: ‘Having been in attendance at Arcadia‘s world premiere at the National some 33 years ago come April, I had always thought I’d never see a staging to match Trevor Nunn’s original…Yet here the play is again, with at least three performers who eclipse all memory of their forbears. And even those who don’t are superb in their own rights, the ensemble working in harmony to foreground feeling amidst the playfulness, fun and scientific and mathematical fodder that inform the text throughout’.

BroadwayWorld‘s Aliya Al-Hassan asked rhetorically: ‘Does it matter if you don’t understand the complex scientific and mathematical theories? Not at all. Carrie Cracknell’s magnificent revival has huge amounts of humour and heart, which is not always a given with Stoppard’s work.’

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish called it a ‘triumphant return’ for an ‘intellectually thrilling and romantically stirring masterpiece’ that is ‘a spellbinding portrait oif transient, mysterious existence itself.’ He seemed to cope with the blitz of ideas more than some critcs: ‘It all grips like a thriller. The intimacy of Cracknell’s production – presented in-the-round, beneath two elliptical lighting rigs that suggest planets in orbit – creates a sense of magnified scrutiny; you can easily follow the trains of thought and marvel at the clockwork finesse of it all.’

Theo Bosanquet for LondonTheatre noted: ‘In Carrie Cracknell’s stripped-back, in-the-round production, Stoppard’s densely intellectual dialogue is given centre stage, while his dual-era narrative is enriched through subtle and sensitive overlapping.’

WhatsOnStage‘s Sarah Crompton pointed out: ‘It is also incredibly funny, and its richness lies in the way that its thoughts never compromise its humanity. Instead, they underline them as Stoppard shows chaos and unpredictability at work in human relations too. Sex and people “fancying people they shouldn’t” is another disruptor of the maths of the universe.’ She summed it up as: ‘a multi-faceted gem that glimmers in every light, thought-provoking and profoundly moving. It’s a glory.’

Dave Fargnoli of The Stage praised the cast: ‘Among the large ensemble, Isis Hainsworth stands out as teenage maths prodigy Thomasina with a believable balance of flashing insight, naivety and adolescent emotional spikes, swinging from frothy enthusiasm to tearful desolation in a heartbeat. Seamus Dillane is a fine foil as her tutor Septimus, deploying roguish charm and acerbic wordplay to create an appealingly rakish persona.’ He ended: ‘although the production may lose momentum at times, the script’s interplay of erudition, insouciant wit and relatable human drama is never less than intriguing and engaging.’

The Independent‘s Alice Saville reported on the look: ‘what Cracknell’s staging excels at is weaving together past and present. Designer Alex Eales has turned the Old Vic into an intricate miniature galaxy, with a revolving set whose rings let the cast orbit each other like planetary bodies. There’s a beautiful naturalness to the way that their paths seem set for collision but never quite meet – leaving historical mysteries forever unsolved.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar had ‘the sense of a playwright tossing about complex ideas with such excitement, dexterity and depth that it doesn’t matter whether you understand them. Or up to a point, at least. Everyone here is so clever, from the winningly precocious Thomasina to Stoppard himself that it can make your head hurt’.

The Times’ Clive Davis was less convinced than some about the play’s greatness: ‘There were more than a few moments during this evening when the lengthy disquisitions on the nature of the universe left me feeling as slow and ponderous as the tortoise that serves as one of the mischievous props (…) As in so many of Stoppard’s plays … the characters seem less like rounded individuals than repositories for his ideas.’ He acknowledged: ‘Arcadia does sparkle, especially in the opening scenes…Tutor Septimus Hodge (played with élan by Seamus Dillane) spars with his pupil, Thomasina Coverly, Isis Hainsworth’s portrayal of the young girl is a delight, conveying both innocence and knowingness as she tries to win Septimus’s approval.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

The i’s Fiona Mountford was the harshest critic: ‘Stripped of all décor, the play appears ever more daunting and ever less dramatic and in the underpowered first half of Carrie Cracknell’s production the atmosphere falls dangerously flat. Too often it becomes a seemingly never-ending lecture and we the poor students trapped inside the lecture hall.’

Critics’ average rating 3.9⭑

Value Rating 52 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)

Arcadia can be seen at The Old Vic until 21 March 2026. Buy tickets directly from the theatre.

If you’ve seen Arcadia at The Old Vic Theatre , please share your review/comment and rating below