The Hard Problem

I blow a bit hot and cold with Tom Stoppard. At his best, his intellectual jigsaw puzzles sparkle and thrill like fireworks, but they can sometimes be damp squibs too. I’ve actually enjoyed his most recent work – the Coast of Utopia trilogy & Rock & Roll – more than the clever clogs stuff like Jumpers and Travesties, but I’m afraid this is a huge disappointment, devoid of any emotional engagement and, well, rather dull.

I thought reading the programme in advance might help, but it made my brain hurt before I’d even taken my seat. It’s familiar philosophical / scientific territory, this time the brain and consciousness. Psychology graduate Hilary gets to work at a world famous brain science institute which is funded by financier Jerry Krohl for ethically dubious reasons. The intellectual debate is between her and her teacher / lover Spike, competing scientist Amal, the institute’s senior researcher Leo and Krohl himself. There are three strands, as there is a somewhat contrived personal story and a mere brush with the world of finance as well as the core scientific debate, but they don’t combine to produce anything with enough substance.

Designer Bob Crowley’s creativity (and budget!) has gone on a brilliant light installation high above the action, which provides a nice distraction during the over-long and fairly frequent scene changes, but leaves the stage looking sparse during performance. There’s nothing wrong with the performances – the actors do the best they can with somewhat flimsy characterisations. It all seemed a bit half-hearted to me.

Perhaps it would have been better if Stoppard retired with the already impressive body of work he has behind him. My playwriting hero Arthur Miller endangered his legacy with weak late plays like Resurrection Blues and Mr Peter’s Connections and for me Stoppard is in danger of doing the same.