The Hard Problem at Studio Theatre

The Hard Problem

Studio Theatre
1501 14th St. NW Washington

Critics have gone crazy for The Hard Problem, the latest from Tom Stoppard, writer of Arcadia and Shakespeare in Love. Hailed by the The Daily Mail as "100 minutes of brilliant brainache," Stoppard's searing drama centers on Hilary, a young psychology researcher at a brain science institute who is haunted by a single theory: If there is nothing but matter, what is consciousness? As Hilary attempts to break down the components of this "hard problem," she finds herself up against her lover (and academic mentor) in a fight to defend the soul, altruism and even religion from modern science. Watch psychology and biology collide in this provocative drama at the Metheny Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Thru - Feb 19, 2017

Price: $56 - $89

Box Office: 202-332-3300

www.studiotheatre.org/plays/play-detail/2016-2017-the-hard-problem

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The Hard Problem Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"..."The Hard Problem" is clever, and if it's not on the incandescent level of Stoppard's great works from "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" to "Arcadia," it's only because few contemporary writers have set the bar higher. The dialogue is more debate-y than usual, yet the audience at Sunday's opening listened raptly as the British characters argue about everything from neuroscience to prayer and the "prisoner's dilemma" (if two criminals are caught and separated, will they come out better if they look out for themselves?)."

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- Nelson Pressley

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

"...Tom Stoppard's The Hard Problem isn't so much about consciousness and the existence of subjectivity, "the hard problem" elucidated by contemporary Australian philosopher David Chalmers, as it is about conscience and the human capacity to construct an ethical framework, a truly "impossible problem" (my own quotation marks)."

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- Robert Michael Oliver

MetroWeekly - Recommended

"...In Studio Theatre’s well-acted production, Klein and Cameron banter warmly as Hilary and Spike, thoroughly credible as scientists and university colleagues who become friends then lovers, in spite of, or perhaps because of, their many, thorny differences in opinion about the greater mysteries of life and death. But their relationship isn’t the story here. Hilary is hired at Krohl, soon becoming a favorite of her boss, Leo (a marvelous Martin Giles)."

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- Andre Hereford

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

"...Director Matt Torney has staged the work with crisp, sharp edges as one scene gives way to the next; similarly, Debra Booth's set design is modular and rather austere as it moves from a bedroom to an office to the scene of an informal dinner party. The central figure is Hilary (Tessa Klein), a psychology researcher searching for the roots of consciousness-the "hard problem" of the title. Hilary debates the issue with her tutor, Spike (Kyle Cameron), through questions of cooperation or self-interest, whether people's behaviors are always (knowingly or not) self-serving, and why people act in "moral" ways toward each other."

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- Susan Berlin

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...The Metheny is a beautiful and intimate space and it’s incredible to see set designer Debra Booth tackle a Google-esque high-rise into such a space, complete with Krohl logo. Soho Repertory Theatre costume designer includes subtle references to the character’s pasts, such as Julia’s purple ensembles, reminiscent of “the purple gang” and Ursula’s power leather business outfit. “Cloud 9” voice coach Elizabeth Forte Alman returns for the lovely British accents in the piece, especially challenging considering the length of time between each scene."

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- Stephanie House

DCTheatreScene - Somewhat Recommended

"...Because the head and the heart are so unsatisfyingly integrated, the production comes off as perfunctory. The cast seems to be going through the motions and rarely connecting to each other or connecting the dots of scientific discourse. The one time the play leaps briefly to life is when Ursula (Joy Jones) jumps up from the dinner table, casually clocks Spike to shut him up, and then quietly plops down again to finish her wine."

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- Jayne Blanchard

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

"...Sorry to say, I found the The Hard Problem to be rather predictable. Pre-occupied by the science of the so-called hard problem, Stoppard relies on a well-known plot and plot devices to explore the hard problem, a decision which I found rather disappointing."

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- Jenny Minich