The Real Thing ★★★★ The Old Vic | Aug 22 - Oct 26, 2024


First produced in 1982, Tom Stoppard's play about a playwright and his actress wife somewhat echoes the writer's own history, while self-consciously raising lots of questions about the relationship between life and art, as it explores the limits and definitions of love. The familiar device of a play within a play has dramatist Henry's wife, Charlotte, acting in a show called "House of Cards" in which the principal character questions his wife's fidelity – just as Henry himself does. Ironically, it turns out that it is the playwright who is cheating on Charlotte with Annie, wife of the actor who is Henry's surrogate in his play. Later, when he is married to Annie, the issue of fidelity again arises, forcing the rather pompous playwright to wonder if he has found the real thing this time. While Henry hides behind various witty and erudite disquisitions on art, politics, class and relationships, his actual conception of love seems to be mainly informed by his affection for the ingenuous lyrics of doo-wop and early rock music. The question then becomes whether he can break out of his self-protective cage of words and irony, and his simplistic view of love, to engage with the complexity of relationships. The resolution to this dilemma is only suggested: Henry eventually comes to appreciate the music of Bach – at least when it is filtered through the songs of Procol Harum. As Henry, James McArdle does a fine job of delivering Stoppard's verbal pyrotechnics, but the contrivance of the language does drain much of the emotional reality from the relationships portrayed. As Annie, Bel Powley puts in a convincing performance as the author's sparring partner and is coyly vivacious in her flirtation with Billy, played by Rilwan Abiola. Like its playwright protagonist, Stoppard's work is rich in ideas, and provocative in its opinions.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Manuel Harlan

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