The Real Thing

The Real Thing

The Real Thing

What exactly is ‘the real thing’? Is it the reality of love, or does it refer to the blurring of art and reality? Whatever the answer, ‘the real thing’ can prove to be much harder to deal with than fiction in Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing”, a new production of which appears at the Old Vic from April 2010.

The play was penned back in 1982 and first appeared in the West End at around the same time, with a cast that included “The Good Life” star Felicity Kendal and theatre regular Roger Rees. Like many of Stoppard’s plays, it was met with great acclaim, winning Tony Awards upon its Broadway transfer, and would return on numerous occasions, including a 2000 production at the Donmar Warehouse.

In “The Real Thing” we meet Henry, a highly talented playwright who is adored by critics and audiences alike. However, during the course of the show we begin to see how the lines between art and reality can be blurred as his plight begins to mirror the love lives of those in his new play. It concerns adultery and his wife Charlotte and her friend Max have been cast in lead roles. Max is married to Annie but problems arise when Henry realises he has developed intense feelings for her, hammering home the harsh realities of love.

It seems as though ‘the real thing’ is the most painful thing of all as Henry comes to understand how love turn lives upside down. As his life mirrors his art, the problems are all around him.

“The Real Thing” stars Toby Stephens as Henry, who appears following his role in “A Doll’s House”, which appeared at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009 and also featured Gillian Anderson in a lead role. The stage and screen actor has appeared in a range of productions, including “Betrayal” at the Donmar Warehouse in 2007, “The Country Wife” at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2007 and “The Royal Family” at the Haymarket Theatre in 2001, with productions such as “Measure for Measure” under his belt for the Royal Shakespeare Company as well. For the screen his credits include television roles in the likes of “Cambridge Spies”, “Wired” and the BBC series of “Robin Hood”, whilst his best known movie credit is as the villain Gustav Graves in the Bond movie “Die Another Day”.

“The Real Thing” appears at the Old Vic as part of its 2010 season, which also featured “Six Degrees of Separation” and “The Bridge Project”, from Wednesday 21st April 2010 (previews from Saturday 10th April 2010) to Saturday 5th June 2010.