“Hapgood” is a study of duplicates, a spy thriller about a search for a double agent that has ulterior motives of its own. Every character, every twist of the plot and every turn of phrase in Tom Stoppard’s tricky and brainy story is serving multiple (and sometimes contradictory) purposes. Stoppard lets us peer behind the curtain of a complicated operation, though we’re not always sure that what we’re seeing is reality.

…Once Stoppard reaches his third act, we’ve begun to piece things together; by the time we’re left to wander out of the theater, everything clicks into place. Like any good piece of detective fiction, “Hapgood” contains seemingly inconsequential or merely decorative elements that end up adding to the overall atmosphere of the show. If you’re willing to go along with Stoppard’s complex, tightly wound plot machine, “Hapgood” is a lot of highbrow, brain-twisting fun.

 

Review by Nathan Weinbender, Spokesman-Review.