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Rough Crossing

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  1w, 5m

by Tom Stoppard
From an original play by Ferenc Molnar

Tom Stoppard's hilarious play has been freely adapted from Ferenc Molnar's classic farce Jatek a Kastelyban (Play at the Castle).

Rough Crossing

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
The co-authors, the composer and most of the cast of a comedy destined for Broadway are simultaneously trying to finish and rehearse the play while crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. Tom Stoppard's hilarious play has been freely adapted from Ferenc Molnar's classic farce Jatek a Kastelyban.
History
Rough Crossing opened at the Lyttelton Theatre in London on 30 October 1984. Directed by Peter Wood, the production featured Michael Kitchen, John Standing, Andrew C. Wadsworth, Niall Buggy, Sheila Gish and Robin Bailey. The play made its New York debut with the Jean Cocteau Repertory Company in 1997, starring Craig Smith, Harris Berlinsky, Tim Deak, Elise Stone, Charles Parnell and Christopher Black.
Keywords
Performing Groups

TURAI – Playwright and collaborator with Gal, of middle age
GAL – Playwright and collaborator with Turai, of middle age
ADAM – A young composer, aged 25
NATASHA – An actress, aged 35 to 40
IVOR – An actor, aged 45 to 50
DVORNICHEK – A cabin steward

  • Time Period 1930s
  • Setting The SS Italian Castle, sailing between Southampton and New York.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“Light and lively... Stoppard's puns and non sequiturs ricochet around the stage like ping-pong balls at summer camp.” – The New York Times

“Adaptation in Stoppard's terms means finding a sympathetic text and using it as a springboard for invention that leaves the original far behind this time. Stoppard has found a totally compatible source, matching his temperament at every point... he weaves an increasingly amazing pattern of verbal misunderstandings, eccentric character development, showbiz spectacle, and seagoing hazards, all of which come to occupy equal importance in the plot.” – London Times

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.
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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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Ferenc Molnar

Ferenc Molnar

Ferenc Molnar (1878-1952), Hungarian playwright and novelist, was born in Budapest. Several of his plays were presented on the New York City stage, and all were successes, including The Guardsman, Lilliom, The Swan, The Glass Slipper and The Play's the Thing. In 1928, English ...

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