NT Live: The Hard Problem Review ★★★★

NT Live: The Hard Problem

Odeon Cinema

Wednesday 16th April 2015

Tom Stoppard's latest play, The Hard Problem, is now the sixth play which he has wrote for The National Theatre, as he has produced one play for every decade that The National Theatre has been alive in London, and is possibly one of the most thought provoking plays I may have witnessed in Theatre.

This is the first time I have seen a play written by Tom Stoppard, though I have been familiar with himself and his works, but the way he wrote the characters, from the major to the minor, and manages to conduct a story within 100 minutes, that's capable of having so many subplots, is truly mesmerizing and had the ability to keep the audience in such a suspense that I have never witness before.

You may arrive also with caution and doubt if you plan to watch the play, as it tackles brain science, and physiological themes, but the way Stoppard threads these devices into the characters lives and backgrounds on stage makes the whole viewing enjoyable and relaxed, and put in a simple way which allows the audience to not over think about everything that is happening on stage.

Stoppard has a great way of making you feel so much for the characters that are being presented on stage, and for me this was the exact why I felt so attached to Hilary, the protagonist in the story. Though she has her main story thread, she has this background, that links into other characters that are on stage, that is beautifully scripted and allows the whole cast to dive into certain aspects of her life.

Overall, The Hard Problem is a fantastic production which really keeps you drawn into the action, and did not leave me feeling unsatisfied, as I believe it is one of the greatest pieces of theatre history.