I DEFY anybody to say they completely understand Hapgood, the 1988 spy thriller which writer Tom Stoppard later revisited to make it easier to follow.
Marrying the themes of female spymaster trying to outwit the KGB and the science of quantum physics as two worlds that mirror each other is not an easy task, but then you don't go to see Stoppard if you're not prepared to come away with brain ache.
The scene is set with an over-choreographed briefcase-swapping scene in a swimming pool changing room. As the principal characters emerge from shadows and from behind shower curtains, the themes of twins, dual and conflicting loyalties and the ambiguities of both science and human nature emerge.
Was trying to put bums on seats by having a Russian double agent who is also a physicist lecture us on the beauty and mystery of atoms Stoppard's little joke? Whatever, John Hodgkinson's portrayal of Kerner is both lyrical and entertaining, even if you're left without the foggiest idea of how any of it is relevant to the action.
Who knows, being trapped between feeling intellectually browbeaten and enjoying a small amount of enlightenment can possibly be explained by some particular theorem.
Hapgood is a curious creature in that, while irritatingly thrilled at its own cleverness, the piece is worth seeing on several levels, yet somehow less than the sum of its parts.
Josie Lawrence is terrifically cast as Mrs Hapgood, the spymaster embattled by the tension between her career as the brilliant operative and her role as doting mother who shouts from the edge of the rugby pitch. She's possibly the only spy in the world whose performance displays fluctuations linked to school holidays.
The sets, lighting and score are cool and stylish. Some of the wordplay is up there with Stoppard's best, and it is completely possible to enjoy the jokes while losing the plot – thank goodness.
And, while vainly pondering opposing particles and wondering whether spies are just in the business of keeping each other in a job, you can enjoy regular glimpses of a wonderful giraffe. All-in-all, though, it's not a great night out, playing the stooge to someone else's "too clever by half".
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
Continues until May 24, box office 0113 213 7700.
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