Hapgood (2022)
by Tom Stoppard
Performances: Tue 31st – Sat 4th June 2022, Old Fire Station
Contents
Introduction
Does light come in waves or particles? Experiments will show either: the experimenter can choose. ”A double agent is like a trick of the light,” Kerner the physicist tells Blair the spy catcher. “You get what you interrogate for.” Dual natures, of light and of people, are the theme of Tom Stoppard’s espionage thriller. Kerner’s secret research is being leaked to Moscow. Is Ridley the double? Or is Kerner a triple? Hapgood is the person to find out, and maybe it will need two of her.
Cast
- Hapgood - Jude Benning
- Wates - Josiah De Phoenix
- Blair - Jack King
- Kerner - Alex Johnston
- Ridley - Tom Watts
- Maggs - Rob Wallis
- Merryweather - Calla Cambrey
- Joe - Sam Roche Franklin Cordery
- Russians - Dan Brooks
Crew
- Stage Manager - Kay George
- Assistant Stage Manager - Dan Brooks
- Lighting Designer - Jason Salmon
- Sound Designer - Adam Crook
- Projection Designer - Bryon Fear
- Operator - Noah Wright
- Set Building and Design - Mark Ireson Barry Heselden
Reviews
Bryon Fear
How nice and refreshing it is to have a really different genre of show on at the theatre. A spy thriller! SLT's Hapgood is incredibly ambitious, almost to the point of overreaching itself - but if you're going to create interesting theatre you have to push yourself and not remain within the boundaries of being 'safe'.
Stoppard's script is extremely witty and surprisingly funny - when the play opens it's not quite clear if any of the action is supposed to be funny but you're soon reminded that you're watching Stoppard brimming with his trademark wordplay, sharp & clever, and when the jokes come, they are undeniable, and truly funny.
The plot follows the machinations of Hapgood's intelligence department which is thrown into tumult when it's suspected there is a double agent in the ranks - underpin the action with a crash course in quantum mechanics and you end up with a highly enjoyable thriller which teeters delightfully on the edge of farce.
You never get a true sense of a show when watching a dress rehearsal that is laden with complex and multiple technical layers, many of which are being test run for the first time - but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed Lisa Thomas's production. There are some exceedingly good performances and everyone has a moment when they truly shine, though I have to mention Jack King and Alex Johnston who anchor the production and let it fly respectively.
A fun one to watch - just make sure you're paying attention!
Jess Osorio
Congratulations to all involved in Hapgood. It was brilliant if perplexing.
Carole Coyne
Just seen an excellent production of Tom Stoppard’s Hapgood at South London Theatre - an unusual spy-thriller from the master of words and subtle humour. Fine performances from all but especially Jack King being masterful and newcomer Alex Johnson as the bubbly, enthusiastic scientist you wished you had teaching you at school. I could not fault Lisa Thomas’s direction and the set and Bryon Fear’s imaginative use of video made the many scene changes very slick. Highly recommended.
Dave Hollander
This is absolutely my kind of play and although I watched the dress rather than a fully fledged performance I can wholeheartedly recommend it! Tinker Tailor meets Prime Suspect in a 1980s spy thriller that veers from near-farce to tense interrogation to involved explanations of theoretical physics… and it’s all tied together with Stoppard’s trademark witty dialogue. Ultimately though, it’s the human connections that really matter in this tense examination of relationships on the line
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.
See Also
Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.
Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.
