'Arcadia' weaves two masterfully written stories

CORVALLIS- Oregon State University's production of Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" is a heady journey through two stories told simultaneously, yet separated by 180 years.

Set in Sibley Park, an English country house, in the years 1809 to 1812 and 1989, the play juxtaposes the story of the witty tutor Septimus Hodge (Daniel Mueller) and his charge, Thomasina Coverly (Arianne Jacques), a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics well ahead of her time, with the activities of two history scholars and the modern-day Coverlys.

In 1989, a writer and an academic converge on the house: Hannah Jarvis (Kimberly Holling), the writer, is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds; Bernard Nightingale (Bruce Lundy), a professor of literature, is investigating a mysterious chapter in the life of Lord Byron. As their investigations unfold, helped by Valentine Coverly (Matt Holland), a post-graduate student in mathematical biology, the truth about what happened in 1809 is gradually revealed.

Also featured are OSU students Nicole Bush as Chloë Coverly, Alexander Johnston as Ezra Chater, Robert LaFever as Richard Noakes, Matt Smith as Captain Brice; as well as community members Jordan Brinck as Jellaby, Vreneli Farber as Lady Croom and Noah Schoenfeld as Gus.

The production team responsible for the lavish set and costumes includes George Caldwell, Barbara Mason, Marion Rossi, Gibby Reynolds and Heather Hewlett.

The play refers to a wide array of subjects, including mathematics, physics, thermodynamics, computer algorithms, fractals, population dynamics, chaos theory vs. determinism, classics and the state of academia. Caught between it all are two love stories, one in the past and one in the present.

"Tom Stoppard's literary genius shines in this play," director Elizabeth Helman said. "He somehow created a play that is, on the one hand, very intellectual and thought-provoking, but also very human and emotional."

In addition, Stoppard does not confine the props or storylines to their time periods.

As a result, the audience is engaged in sorting out the connections from start to finish.

"The past is in the present and the present in the past," Helman said.

The observant Thomasina sums it up well in the play: "You can stir things apart."

CHECK IT OUT

"Arcadia," Oregon State University Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 6-7 and 12-14, Withycombe Main Stage, 30th Street and Campus Way, Oregon State University. The Feb. 13 show will be sign-language interpreted. Admission: $14 for adults, $9 for seniors, $7 for students. Tickets available at the OSU box office (737-2784) or online at oregonstate.edu/dept/theate.