The Hard Problem

by Tom Stoppard Narrated by Eddie Cahill, Rosie Fellner, Adhir Kalyan, Alex Wyndham, Desiree Mee Jung, Hannah Murray, Julian Morris, Moira Quirk

Overview

Hilary believes fervently that consciousness is more than the sum of our biology. When she receives a position at a prestigious think tank, she develops a novel experiment to prove that humans are intrinsically altruistic, but the results are something she never anticipated.

Includes a post-show discussion with Mark Tramo, a neuroscientist, neurologist, and musician who is a professor in the UCLA Schools of Medicine, Music, and Letters & Science.

Recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in November 2019.

Director: Rosalind Ayres
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
Eddie Cahill as Jerry
Rosie Fellner as Julia
Adhir Kalyan as Amal
Julian Morris as Spike
Hannah Murray as Hilary
Desirée Mee Jung as Bo
Moira Quirk as Cathy, Ursula
Alex Wyndham as Leo

Associate Artistic Director: Anna Lyse Erikson. Recording Engineer, Sound Designer, Mixer: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood. Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin. Foley Artist: Brian DeShazor. Production Manager: Erica R. Christensen. Editor: Mitchell Lindskoog.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for The Hard Problem :

“Mr. Stoppard is, as always, an adept craftsman. . . . [He] has provided food for thought, and not just a tasting menu but a full, footnoted banquet.” —Ben Brantley, New York Times

“Tom Stoppard [is] the English-speaking world’s brainiest playwright.” — Wall Street Journal

“Oozes learning. . . . [Stoppard] proves that it is possible to construct a tight 100 minutes of drama around neuroscientific conceits. . . . He has succeeded . . . this is a play to admire.” — Economist

“[ The Hard Problem ] displays intact the dramatist’s remarkable ability to synthesize complex knowledge into wittily metaphorical dialogue. . . . Demand for this brainy, funny, and touching play will long outstrip supply.” — New Statesman

“Tom Stoppard’s first play for nine years is typically witty—an intellectually charged piece that delights in the slippery nature of language and pulses with interesting ideas.” — London Evening Standard

“100 minutes of condensed brain-ache, marbled by wit and some camisoled sexiness. . . . Admirably high-minded . . . It succeeds, in my view triumphantly.” — Daily Mail

“Stimulating . . . absorbing . . . A rich, ideas-packed work that . . . offers endless stimulation and represents, like so much of [Stoppard’s] work, a search for absolute values and a belief in the possibility of selfless virtue.” — Guardian

“The dialogue is flashily impressive . . . it leaves one panting with admiration.” — Spectator (UK)

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

Where do ethics and consciousness come from? Do they really exist? Playing a neuropsychologist and her billionaire think-tank-owning boss, television stalwarts Hannah Murray (“Game of Thrones”) and Eddie Cahill (“CSI: NY”) lead a fine LA Theatre Works cast in this spirited live recording of Tom Stoppard’s 2015 satirical examination of how scientists do science. Mixing big philosophical ideas with an experiment that might be too good to be true and a heartbreaking plot twist, Stoppard’s trademark smart, rapid-fire dialogue ensures that the hard questions will be answered with humor, insight, and a large dose of humanity. A post-show discussion about neurology, language, and music with UCLA neuroscientist Mark Tramo rounds out this entertaining and thought-provoking program. B.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173175557
Publisher:	L.A. Theatre Works
Publication date:	04/20/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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