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The Real Thing

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 4m

Tom Stoppard

The Real Thing
by Tom Stoppard

Diving through layers of play and performance, reality and deceit, The Real Thing is Tom Stoppard’s kaleidoscopic comedy of love, infidelity and the stories we tell.

The Real Thing

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 4m
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1982 Evening Standard Award for Best Play
    Winner! 1984 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play
    Winner! 1984 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
    Winner! 1984 Tony® Award for Best Play
    Winner! 2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival
    Winner! Two 2000 Tony® Awards, including Best Revival of a Play

Details

Summary
Tom Stoppard's brilliant, award-winning play of surprise and deftly witty comparison was premiered at London's Strand Theatre in 1982 starring Roger Rees and Felicity Kendal and revived in 1999. Henry is a successful playwright married to Charlotte who has the lead role in his latest play about adultery. Her co-star, Max, is married to another actress, Annie, and Annie and Henry are madly in love but is it any more real than the'subjects of Henry's play?
History
The Real Thing was first presented by Michael Codron at the Strand Theatre, London on 16 November 1982.
MAX, forty-ish
CHARLOTTE, thirty-five-ish
HENRY, forty-ish
ANNIE, thirty-ish
BILLY, twenty-two-ish
DEBBIE, seventeen
BRODIE, twenty-four
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting Various interior settings

Media

“This is Stoppard with both brains and heart, and jokes showered like confetti.” — The Arts Desk

“Dazzling comedy of love and language.” — Financial Times

“A timeless study of passion and art.” — The Guardian

“Dizzyingly clever.” — TimeOut

“Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece… [it] will always be funny and relevant.” — The Times

“Just as relevant now as 40 years ago.” — WhatsOnStage

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
    This title may have restrictions in place for London based productions. Please submit a licence request to confirm specific availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard’s most recent play, Leopoldstadt, opened at Wyndham's Theatre in 2020 and transferred to Broadway in 2022. It won multiple Awards, including an Olivier Award and Tony Award for Best Play. He wrote his first play, Enter a Free Man, whilst working as a journalist i ...

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