Nicholas Hytner takes his farewell as artistic director of the National Theatre with his production of Tom Stoppard’s first play in nine years. Stoppard, a brilliant player with words and punster supremo, has written two masterpieces, Arcadia and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He has also written one of the best screenplays about the Cold War, Professional Foul (long overdue for revival), and a play for an orchestra, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.
All four plays are extremely accessible, which is more than can be said for The Hard Problem. There are so many ideas, it is difficult to keep up; many theatregoers will be thinking during the performance that they really ought to buy the text and catch up at home.
How do you explain human behaviour? What is so good about Good? Is goodness an objective thing? Is there such a thing as altruism? Is there only self-interest? Consciousness must be a strange kind of illusion if you have to be conscious to have it. Are coincidences really coincidences?
A young psychological researcher (an admirable performance by Olivia Vinall) is mocked for her belief in God and the efficacy of prayer by her lover, who also happens to be her tutor (Damien Molony). Some of their scenes together are set in bedrooms and this means that the actors can be in a state of undress, a sop for those who may find the play just a bit too cerebral for their liking.