Review: The Gamm's Ambitious but Inconsistent ARCADIA

ARCADIA is considered by many to be one of the best plays in the English language and it manages to walk the line between humor and tragedy very well all while maintaining delightful and rapid reversals of fortune punctuated by moments of real insight. It's interesting to watch a play that is at its core about research and learning, but still come away entertained rather than feeling lectured to. The Gamm has done admirably taking on this potentially daunting work, and though there are a few hiccups and missteps, the overall production is well executed and thought-provoking.

Arcadia is a play split between two time periods, in the same location of Sidley Park, which is a country estate in Derbyshire England occupied by the Coverly family. We first arrive there in 1809 and meet Septimus Hodge, played with charming wit by Jeff Church, who is a tutor to the young lady of the house--Thomasina Coverly. The dynamic between the two actors sets the tone perfectly for a whip-smart production with just enough sexual innuendo to keep the audience engaged. The scenes between Church and Thomasina, played by Grace Viveiros are really some of the best in this whole production. The two actors have the perfect rapport in that you never for a moment forget that he is her tutor, but he never condescends to her in a way that actually feels condescending, rather it comes off as genuine affection. Viveiros also deserves praise for her excellent portrayal of Thomasina. She embodies the subtle skill of a much older actor, but still manages to feel exactly like the teenager she is. As she matures and gains confidence over the course of the play, one can't help but root for her.

The scenes in 1809 and later 1812 are juxtaposed by scenes that also take place at Sidley Park in the present day. Researcher Hannah Jarvis, is looking into the hermit that reportedly lived on the grounds of the estate, but she's struggling to find any mention of him in old diaries and letters. Her work is interrupted by Bernard Nightingale, played by Tony Estrella, a glory-seeking scholar who is convinced that Lord Byron spent time at Sidley Park and fought a duel with and killed a minor author of the time--Ezra Chater.

Unfortunately, the scenes in the present day tend to drag on a bit more than those set in early 1800, and it's hard to exactly pinpoint why. There is a lot of dialogue in this play, and at times it seemed like the actors, rather than speaking breathlessly fast with excitement, were just delivering lines as quickly as they could in order to keep the running time of the production under three hours. Unfortunately, this meant that oftentimes the words just didn't land properly, and rather than seeming sparkling and clever, just got bogged down. Jeanine Kane is charming and relatable as Hannah Jarvis, and one can practically feel her frustration at spending so much time doing research only to keep coming up empty, but she and Estrella lack the rapport that Church and Viveiros captured so perfectly in the first scene. Estrella is charming and a bit smarmy, but doesn't seem too different from the other charming smarmy roles he's played in previous productions--just this time he's English.

The minor characters and for the most part very good. Deb Martin is hysterical as Lady Croom, which injects lovely bits of levity, even though she's incredibly cartoonish at times; and Brandon Whitehead as Ezra Chater is a loveable buffoon. Unfortunately, again in the scenes set in the present day, Jesse Hinson seems to not realize that he's actually acting in a play and just mopes around hating everything except his pet turtle, which is a shame since he has proven to be excellent at understatement, unfortunately not this time around.

Despite the hiccups, however, this is a play worth watching. There are a few scenes that drag, but overall there are so many thought-provoking ideas in the script, that one could almost watch it 12 times and find something new in each viewing. There is so much to mull over and dissect that it can be a bit overwhelming, but is ultimately satisfying.

Arcadia runs from September 15-October 16 at The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, RI. For tickets call 401-723-4266 or order online at gammtheatre.org.

Photo: Grace Viveiros and Jeff Church