|
The
Real Thing |
| Blackwell's Players' performance of Tom Stoppard's 'The Real
Thing' was rapturously received last night by an audience which seemed to
consist mostly of Blackwells' staff, delighted to see their colleagues on
stage. Some were even cheerily singing or humming along with the seventies
music which accompanies some of the action. There was a democratic "have
a go" feeling about this production: many sitting near me were saying
how they too would like to audition for a role just as soon as the next chance came. The Real Thing is a sophisticated play which explores love, being and having a lover, fidelity, sexual attraction. Stoppard plays cleverly with the crossovers between public and private lives by means of a play within a play, and his dialogue scintillates with ideas and complexities. To my mind this sort of play needs a fine cast, a stylish set and an elegant production if it is to show itself for what it is. As such it was perhaps an over-ambitious choice for Blackwell's Players. E.T., 10.4.3 |