★★★★★

“fuses science and humanity with dazzling clarity”

Following its critically acclaimed, Olivier-nominated Old Vic run, Sir Tom Stoppard’s ‘Arcadia’ makes a historic West End debut on the very day the Duke of York’s Theatre is renamed in his honour. Stoppard fuses science and art into one of the most existential plays ever written – sharp, layered and deeply rewarding, it stays with you long after it ends.

Thomasina – a nineteenth century teen prodigy – is on the cusp of unravelling the secrets of the universe, aided by her errant tutor, Septimus. Generations later, descendants and scholars comb the same manor for answers of their own. They all seek meaning amid the noise, as the expected order of things dissolves into brilliant chaos.

The late Stoppard’s work is a masterpiece. Intelligently and elegantly layered, it feels like a good cup of tea – deeper and more flavourful with time. It artfully marries scientific rigour with human richness – complex physical theories feel accessible while emotional clarity rings true. Pithy, crisp humour offers sharp relief. True to the quote that inspired the name, decay – be it death or entropy – is ever present. Though some characters feel more approximated than resolved, their fluid relationships capture entropy’s chaos so deftly it becomes a strength. A brilliant fusion of scientific and human unpredictability.

Carrie Cracknell’s superb direction is full of humanity and warmth. The sharp humour anchors denser ideas – signal amid the noise perhaps. The double revolve reveals order, chaos and time’s inexorable drift – a powerful reminder that nothing’s ever truly static. Ira Mandela Siobhan choreographs entropy with striking intelligence, and subtle transitional sequences add meaning. The waltz scene is gorgeous, its final gesture devastating. Though technically in the round, the gradual accumulation of debris reads less clearly from the front, but it’s a small trade off in an otherwise brilliant piece.

Alex Eales preserves the deceptively simple Old Vic staging, with a pared back double revolve and futuristic overhead lights evoking celestial bodies orbiting the steadfast central table. Guy Hoare’s deliberately restrained lighting favours warm and cool tones, but with colour blooming and overhead lights pulsing and drifting at key moments. Stuart Earl’s score surprises, with string rich polyrhythms that span time periods. Donato Wharton’s sound design gives the music real lift, and Suzanne Cave’s costumes deftly sketch each era before blending them.

The ensemble cast navigates this intricate play with breathtaking clarity. Isis Hainsworth’s Thomasina and Seamus Dillane’s Septimus are especially captivating. Hainsworth brings a luminous mix of naïveté and wisdom to her precocious genius, striving for meaning until the very end. Dillane sparkles with saucy insouciance, gleefully outmanoeuvring the hapless Mr Chater (Matthew Steer), before smouldering with restrained desire. Yolanda Kettle’s Lady Coombs is a delight, her cutting wit and striking poise laced with sly seductiveness. Hannah’s (Nikki Amuka-Bird) patient diligence offsets Bernard’s (Oliver Chris) flamboyant romanticism. Together, they all coalesce in beautifully chaotic symmetry.

Arcadia fuses science and humanity with dazzling clarity. Steeped in meaning, each visit reveals something new – a historic West End run you definitely shouldn’t miss.

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

Noël Coward Theatre

★★★★★

“Inevitably all eyes will be on Adrian Lester, who delivers a faultless and fearless performance”

Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play, “Cyrano de Bergerac”, has had many stage adaptations – as well as film, television, radio, opera and musical – but none so layered and emotionally engaging as Simon Evans’ and Debris Stevenson’s interpretation. The comic heart beats furiously throughout with its mix of poetry and prose; the rhythm never falters until it quivers with shockwaves of tragedy and pathos that shake the narrative, taking us quite by surprise. Set against the backdrop of the Thirty Years’ War between France and Spain, the action moves from Bohemian Paris, out onto the battlefields, and back again to a broken and wounded Paris fourteen years later.

The tale focuses on the (semi-fictional) nobleman, duellist, poet, playwright and over-zealous grammarian, Cyrano de Bergerac. Famous for his exaggeratedly large nose; his audacious and strong-willed nature is thrown into self-doubt by the unfortunate proboscis, especially where matters of the heart are concerned. Unable to express his love for the beautiful Roxanne, he relinquishes his happiness in order to help the witless and inarticulate Christian win her over instead. It is a symbiotic relationship that benefits both, and much of the play’s humour derives from Cyrano feeding Christian the words he so lacks. When the deceit is finally uncovered, however, it is difficult to keep a dry eye. Such gear shifts epitomise this adaptation, beautifully told by an astonishing company of actors.

Inevitably all eyes will be on Adrian Lester, who delivers a faultless and fearless performance. His character is equally fearless, yet his brash bravado knows exactly where the chinks in his armour lie. This self-awareness draws the audience closer to him, even at his most cynical. Susannah Fielding shows the same strength and vulnerability as Roxanne, with a playfulness and intelligence that lend her a magnetic power. Forget Cyrano and Christian – the whole audience will fall in love with her. Meanwhile, Levi Brown’s Christian adds surprising lyricism to his Brummie monosyllables in a role that embraces the joke rather than being the butt of it. Surrounded by a supporting cast of off-beats and eccentrics, every moment and every line of this production is a true delight.

Evans also sits in the director’s chair, dishing out neat theatrical devices like a mad-cap inventor. Cyrano (according to this version) won a six-piece travelling band in a bet, who now follow him around wherever he goes. Frequently crossing over into acting mode, the musicians are a constant presence, adding atmospheric and emotional depth to each scene with Alex Baranowski’s compositions. The inclusion of a young Cyrano is a stroke of genius, intermittently and silently shadowing Lester at pivotal moments. We speculate what this may represent, but the final symbolism – when revealed – is achingly devastating, and beautifully executed.

Grace Smart’s set and costume create a timeless sense of period in which we know where we are, while Joshie Harriette’s lighting throws fairytale elements into the mix, frequently shattered by Donato Wharton’s enveloping sound design. The performers wander the auditorium, straddle the balconies and heckle from the boxes; while music suddenly appears from unexpected places. Similarly, masked moments of social commentary pop up when we least expect them, yet so cleverly woven into the fabric they are almost invisible. We are constantly taken aback by the fusion of Evans’ and Stevenson’s writing with the performances, led by Adrian Lester in astounding form.

Cyrano de Bergerac has a pathological fear of the cliché. But fear not; this production is as far away from a cliché of the story as you can get. I could try to sum up with a tag line to match the eloquence, but I would only fail, and probably just come up with a cliché anyway. Like ‘unmissable’, for example. Yet that is what this show is. I’ll leave it to the Cyrano’s of the world to wax lyrical about it.

Tag Archives: Donato Wharton

ARCADIA

★★★★★

Duke of York’s Theatre

ARCADIA

Duke of York’s Theatre

★★★★★

“fuses science and humanity with dazzling clarity”

ARCADIA

Duke of York’s Theatre

Reviewed on 1st July 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Manuel Harlan

ARCADIA

ARCADIA

ARCADIA

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

★★★★★

Noël Coward Theatre

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

Noël Coward Theatre

★★★★★

“Inevitably all eyes will be on Adrian Lester, who delivers a faultless and fearless performance”