Tom Stoppard's theatrical marathon, The Coast of Utopia, starring Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Ehle and Billy Crudup, opened at the Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York on Monday night. It was "exhilarating", "earnest but uninspired" or "cogent, immediate and even emotional", depending on who you believe. Consensus lies, however, in the fact that it was "lengthy".
Stoppard's epic eight-hour trilogy - comprising of Voyage, Shipwreck and Salvage - tells the tale of a group of influential Russian intellectuals who meet as students in Moscow during the 1820s. Spanning 35 years and presenting more than 70 characters, it must take some audience dedication - did anyone test their dramatic stamina when the play debuted in London in 2002, under the direction of Trevor Nunn at the National Theatre? Or are any New Yorkers planning to brave a one-day marathon session, in which you can watch the entire run in one go?
Respect is due, I feel, to an artist and an audience who put faith in a slow creative burner. I had only admiration for those who sat through 12 hours of Jacque Rivette's Out 1: Noli Me Tangere at the National Film Theatre this year, or stayed tuned in to a day-long run of Wagner's Ring cycle on Radio 3. And I love little more when I'm out and about than a courageous DJ dropping Television's 10-minute wonder Marquee Moon into their set. Isn't there enough instant gratification in our lives already?
