33. Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (1993)
Minchester
【包含话剧Arcadia剧透 Contains spoilers of Arcadia】
上一次是哪部舞台剧令你看了还想看？
对于我的老豆友Luna，正在西区上演的Arcadia就是这样一部魅力盎然的作品，今年，她已经在Old Vic剧院和Duke of York剧院（现更名为Tom Stoppard剧院）四刷这部由剧作家Tom Stoppard创作于90年代的戏剧。
而我，偶然间看到《世外桃源/阿卡迪亚》的片段，从此一直念念不忘，十来年前我读完剧本，并没有读懂，而这次，和Luna的畅聊，让我感受到了这个戏剧的魅力。
这个包罗万象的剧本，包含了文学、物理、数学的宽广维度，它讨论拜伦离开英格兰的原因是不是因为被卷入了一场秘密决斗；浪漫主义转向哥特主义的英国园林风格嬗变，费马猜想、热寂、混沌理论、动量守恒、时间的不可追；还有那些同样让人关心的问题：谁爱上了谁，谁和谁在凉亭打啵，周末派对会不会下雨，数学天才少女的命运、庄园隐士的真实身份……这些庞杂的故事线，在Tom Stoppard精巧的设计下，融入西德利庄园的故事。1809年的人儿与1990年的人儿，在同一个舞台上演出，今人要在文献考据中拼接上前人生命历程里缺失的神秘拼图，前人在数学与物理学的公式里，期待预测一个未来……
数学俘获的不止二次元，还有西区舞台剧w
并且，像一切好的故事一样，Arcadia让人嬉笑，让人垂泪。
“这真是最好的时光！因为我们所知道的一切都是错的。”
你可以搜索“敏彻斯特”公众号，找到关于这部舞台剧的照片花絮。
What is the last theatre play that makes you keep coming back for more?
Arcadia, now running in the West End, is one of such shows for Luna, an old friend of mine.
We discussed the story, and Luna’s three (now four!) viewings, first at the Old Vic, then the current production at Tom Stoppard Theatre (formerly the Duke of York Theatre).
09:30 Who was Tom Stoppard?
13:48 What is “Arcadia” and what does “Et in Arcadia Ego” mean?
23:00 Introduction of Arcadia the play
27:30 Arcadia touches upon debates about Enlightenment vs Romanticism, knowing vs feeling, Determinism vs free will, Science vs the Humanities
40:55 The stage setting @ the Old Vic, or “a theatre in the round”
44:25 The stage setting @ the Duke of York (now the Tom Stoppard Theatre)
46:30 The cast
59:10 How Arcadia tackles topics around intimacy and love: a hook for the audience & key to its most heart-breaking scene
61:50 The story-telling: the plot reveals are well-timed and build up the dynamics of the show
64:30 The ending: lines refer to physics, foreshadow the character’s fate and reflect the play’s own structure
79:00 Science as story-telling
82:40 Luna reads Thomasina’s monologue on the loss of knowledge (or is it really lost)
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