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Conscious craving
Perspectives
Theatre Conscious craving
Johann Persson
With a career now spanning just short of half a century, Tom Stoppard has a reputation for being a “playwright of ideas”. He first became known in 1966 with the acclaimed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and has since been admired for his skilful and witty writing that marries seemingly disparate subjects. Stoppard’s Arcadia (1993), which many consider his finest work, is very much in this vein—set in a country house across two centuries, it takes in chaos theory, thermodynamics, and landscape design. The Hard Problem, Stoppard’s first play for 9 years, explores ideas of consciousness and the science of human brain. The plot follows Hilary (Olivia Vinall), a young psychologist. We first encounter her applying for a research post at the prestigious Krohl Institute for Brain Science. Although underqualified for the role, her interest in the philosophy and understanding of consciousness wins her the job. The Krohl Institute plays host to an unconventional team, and owes its existence to the largess of hedge fund tycoon Jerry Krohl (Anthony Calf). He terrorises his staff, especially Amal (Parth Thakerar), a failed academic. Hilary reports to Leo (Jonathan Coy) who neurotically worries about their work being overlooked. Her colleague and mentor is Spike (Damien Molony) with whom she has an on-off affair.
The Hard Problem A play by Tom Stoppard, directed by Nicholas Hytner. At the Dorfman Theatre, London, UK, until May 27, 2015. http://www.nationaltheatre.org. uk/shows/the-hard-problem
Johann Persson
The Hard Problem will be shown in selected cinemas from April 16, 2015, as part of the NTLive programme. http://ntlive.nationaltheatre. org.uk/
680
The institute’s women are more supportive to Hilary. Julia (Rosie Hilal) is a pilates teacher whom Hilary knows from school; Bo (Vera Chok) is a gifted mathematician who assists Hilary with her calculations. The portrayal of gender roles is strangely old-fashioned. While the play’s female characters are the emotional centre of the play, the men are steely rationalists. Hilary debates issues of neuroscience and morality with almost everyone she shares the stage with. She finds her views are generally at odds with her interlocutors. Unlike them, she resists the notion that human experience can be explained
“Hilary debates issues of neuroscience and morality with almost everyone she shares the stage with.” entirely by our biology. She disagrees that consciousness can be understood through brain scan activity or that altruism is simply a matter of evolutionary advantage. Instead, she favours explanations underwritten by something less knowable—a supreme being perhaps. It turns out that this view is driven by a personal regret: as a teenager mother she placed her daughter for adoption. She now prays nightly for the child’s wellbeing. This irrationality never fails to jar Spike,
but it seems that God can offer Hilary a hope that science never can. Vinall—a rising star—plays her part with an intensity that makes Hilary’s secret anguish absolutely believable. She’s less convincing as an academic, however, as her views are so influenced by her heart. At its weakest, The Hard Problem feels less like a work of drama and more like a lecture in disguise. The plot only connects in passing with the scientific and philosophical discussions of the cast. The ideas of interest are clearly expounded, but at the expense of character development. Curiously, the problem of understanding consciousness isn’t part of the drama. The “hard problem” of consciousness is a term used by philosopher David Chalmers to describe our difficulty in understanding how sensations can become subjective experiences, but the debates in the play focus on the mind– body problem (which is a little different) and questions of morality. Although this play isn’t Stoppard at his most satisfying, I nevertheless found it enormously enjoyable. The script is amusing and fluent and it’s a pleasure to spend time in the presence of such a fertile and curious mind. Overseen by the National Theatre’s outgoing artistic director Nicholas Hytner, everything zips along. The performances are engaging and confident, particularly Vinall and Molony as the clever and abrasive Spike. It’s clear by the end where The Hard Problem’s sympathies lie: the human brain is more than just a very clever computer and we can transcend the basically selfish values gifted to us by our evolution. God may have a place too, as an epic coincidence answers Hilary’s prayers. Even alphamale Jerry Krohl doesn’t turn out to be so bad, and gets some of the best lines. These days it’s a confident playwright indeed who can let a financier off lightly.
Stephen Ginn www.thelancet.com Vol 385 February 21, 2015
Theatre Conscious craving
Johann Persson
With a career now spanning just short of half a century, Tom Stoppard has a reputation for being a “playwright of ideas”. He first became known in 1966 with the acclaimed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and has since been admired for his skilful and witty writing that marries seemingly disparate subjects. Stoppard’s Arcadia (1993), which many consider his finest work, is very much in this vein—set in a country house across two centuries, it takes in chaos theory, thermodynamics, and landscape design. The Hard Problem, Stoppard’s first play for 9 years, explores ideas of consciousness and the science of human brain. The plot follows Hilary (Olivia Vinall), a young psychologist. We first encounter her applying for a research post at the prestigious Krohl Institute for Brain Science. Although underqualified for the role, her interest in the philosophy and understanding of consciousness wins her the job. The Krohl Institute plays host to an unconventional team, and owes its existence to the largess of hedge fund tycoon Jerry Krohl (Anthony Calf). He terrorises his staff, especially Amal (Parth Thakerar), a failed academic. Hilary reports to Leo (Jonathan Coy) who neurotically worries about their work being overlooked. Her colleague and mentor is Spike (Damien Molony) with whom she has an on-off affair.
The Hard Problem A play by Tom Stoppard, directed by Nicholas Hytner. At the Dorfman Theatre, London, UK, until May 27, 2015. http://www.nationaltheatre.org. uk/shows/the-hard-problem
Johann Persson
The Hard Problem will be shown in selected cinemas from April 16, 2015, as part of the NTLive programme. http://ntlive.nationaltheatre. org.uk/
680
The institute’s women are more supportive to Hilary. Julia (Rosie Hilal) is a pilates teacher whom Hilary knows from school; Bo (Vera Chok) is a gifted mathematician who assists Hilary with her calculations. The portrayal of gender roles is strangely old-fashioned. While the play’s female characters are the emotional centre of the play, the men are steely rationalists. Hilary debates issues of neuroscience and morality with almost everyone she shares the stage with. She finds her views are generally at odds with her interlocutors. Unlike them, she resists the notion that human experience can be explained
“Hilary debates issues of neuroscience and morality with almost everyone she shares the stage with.” entirely by our biology. She disagrees that consciousness can be understood through brain scan activity or that altruism is simply a matter of evolutionary advantage. Instead, she favours explanations underwritten by something less knowable—a supreme being perhaps. It turns out that this view is driven by a personal regret: as a teenager mother she placed her daughter for adoption. She now prays nightly for the child’s wellbeing. This irrationality never fails to jar Spike,
but it seems that God can offer Hilary a hope that science never can. Vinall—a rising star—plays her part with an intensity that makes Hilary’s secret anguish absolutely believable. She’s less convincing as an academic, however, as her views are so influenced by her heart. At its weakest, The Hard Problem feels less like a work of drama and more like a lecture in disguise. The plot only connects in passing with the scientific and philosophical discussions of the cast. The ideas of interest are clearly expounded, but at the expense of character development. Curiously, the problem of understanding consciousness isn’t part of the drama. The “hard problem” of consciousness is a term used by philosopher David Chalmers to describe our difficulty in understanding how sensations can become subjective experiences, but the debates in the play focus on the mind– body problem (which is a little different) and questions of morality. Although this play isn’t Stoppard at his most satisfying, I nevertheless found it enormously enjoyable. The script is amusing and fluent and it’s a pleasure to spend time in the presence of such a fertile and curious mind. Overseen by the National Theatre’s outgoing artistic director Nicholas Hytner, everything zips along. The performances are engaging and confident, particularly Vinall and Molony as the clever and abrasive Spike. It’s clear by the end where The Hard Problem’s sympathies lie: the human brain is more than just a very clever computer and we can transcend the basically selfish values gifted to us by our evolution. God may have a place too, as an epic coincidence answers Hilary’s prayers. Even alphamale Jerry Krohl doesn’t turn out to be so bad, and gets some of the best lines. These days it’s a confident playwright indeed who can let a financier off lightly.
Stephen Ginn www.thelancet.com Vol 385 February 21, 2015