Leastways, that's the findings of Tom Stoppard in the closing moments of his Jumpers, which officially began its first Broadway revival April 25 at the Brooks Atkinson. From a state of celestial suspension, sitting prettily on a lunar crescent in the center of the stage, Essie Davis peered down at the shambles of her life and marriage—a decidedly messy scene, cluttered with the dorky don she's cuckolding, played by Simon Russell Beale, a corpse she created that keeps coming and going at the strangest times, a cop in less than hot pursuit (Nicholas Woodeson) and a smarmy shrink (Nicky Henson). A team of ten tumbling philosophers bounding in at intervals increased the chaos quotient

"I love the character's sense of humor," admitted the 43-year-old Beale, at the post-premiere party at Tavern on the Green. Beale makes his Broadway debut in the production. "I love the fact that he finds his intellectual activity funny. I think he's a very human character—well, he's a loser, actually. He'll never succeed in what he wants to succeed in. I find that attractive."

Beale's turn as this ineffectual, intellectual Everyman comes after a large roster of classical roles. His director, David Leveaux, defends this particular Broadway debut decision. "I think the beauty of his choice to come to Broadway for the first time with Jumpers is like Laurence Olivier when he did The Entertainer," he said. "That was a great classical actor saying, `But, look, the contemporary modern theatre is where I can fly, too.' I'm glad that he has chosen to do this rather than to do Shakespeare. It's a more daring decision to make."

For further enlightenment, first-nighters retired to the multi-watted Tavern. Among them: Mia Farrow (with son Seamus), Richard Easton, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Cumpsty, David Marshall Grant, Roger Bart, Douglas Sills, Eric Idle (with his Spamelot composer, John Du Prez), Nicholas Hytner (artistic director of the National, from which Jumpers made the jump to Broadway), Famke Janssen, Kate Burton, Ian Holm, Wendy Wasserstein, David Ives, John Guare, Jack Klugman, Dana Ivey, Peter Boyle, Jack Noseworthy, Eli Wallach, Jack O'Brien and Walter Bobbie.

The pretty-in-pink Celeste Holm enjoyed a seat of honor at the Tavern—and more will follow on Thursday when her 85th birthday will be celebrated with a benefit blow-out at Town Hall for a pet charity of hers, Arts Horizon. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward will be honored also, she said, for their work to the organization which last year brought art to more than a million under-privileged and at-risk kids. Centerpiece of the evening will be a screening of Holm's (and Elia Kazan's) Oscar-winning vehicle, 1947's "Gentleman's Agreement," followed by a panel discussion with Kitty Carlisle Hart (whose Moss wrote the screenplay) and Cecilia Peck and Julie Garfield, the daughters of Holm's co-stars, Gregory Peck and John Garfield. A party at Sardi's will follow the special showing.

The original six-member London cast of this Jumpers jumped intact to Broadway, and the acrobatics who counterpoint the verbal gymnastics with physical gymnastics were all hired locally. The most conspicuous, and overqualified, of these is Michael Arnold, who five years ago won an Astaire Award for playing the dance captain in 42nd Street and who recently choreographed the Stephen Sondheim-John Weidman musical, Bounce.