After Darwin

by Timberlake Wertenbaker

Millie, a director, discusses with her actors, Ian and Tom, how to interpret two famous historical figures from the nineteenth century. It's 1831. The naturalist Charles Darwin is invited to travel with Robert Fitzroy into uncharted waters off the coast of South America aboard 'The Beagle'. Their five year journey is fraught with philosophical and personal tensions. Fitzroy, a staunch Christian, has faith in the unquestionable authority of the Bible; Darwin begins to explore a more radical vision, his theory of natural selection. A meditation on history and human relationships, After Darwin links past and present through these five characters, and raises timeless questions about faith, friendship and how we interpret the past.

After Darwin was first performed in July 1998, at Hampstead Theatre, London.

Genres: Plays

115 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 29, 2015

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was torn between giving this 3 stars and 4, but I opted for the higher star value. There were sections of this play I really liked, but then there were other sections where I was confused about the characters' motives and what they meant by some of their comments.
What I liked about this play is the really effective blending of modern actors and their characters--the line between the actors and the play is permeable, as the meaning of the play-within-the-play shifts based on how the actors', director's, and writer's goals, ideas, and intentions change.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

i just have one question
1) What the f*ck