The Real Thing (Paperback)

by Tom Stoppard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Of the London production..."[The Real Thing] is about both love and art, and it is wise, witty, and astonishing through and through...Enthralling."--Alastair Macaulay, Financial Times"You couldn't ask for a more deeply felt, or more deeply affecting, drama about love than this...The Real Thing is indeed the genuine article--a play of strength, grace, melancholy and wit."--Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph"When it comes to putting erotic love in its place, no contemporary English playwright has done so with such illuminating rigour or eloquence as Tom Stoppard."--Nicholas De Jongh, Evening Standard

Product Description

The play begins with Max and Charlotte, a couple whose marriage seems about to rupture. But nothing one sees on a stage is the real thing, and some things are less real than others. Charlotte is an actress who has been appearing in a play about marriage by her husband, Henry. Max, her leading man, is also married to an actress, Annie. Both marriages are at the point of rupture because Henry and Annie have fallen in love. But is it the real thing?In The Real Thing, Tom Stoppard combines his characteristically brilliant wordplay and wit with flashes of insight that illuminate the nature--and the mystery--of love, creating a multi-toned play that challenges the mind while searching out the innermost secrets of the heart.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (April 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571125298
• ISBN-13: 978-0571125296
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #325,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The usual Stoppard brilliance., August 10, 1999

By A Customer

As what is considered a turning point in Stoppard's ability to write romance, The Real Thing includes the usual ingenius commentary on life and art this time woven through a love story. Thus, the play can be enjoyed for the usual Stoppardian elevated language and fascinating explanations of quality art as well as its touching yet clever romantic plot. Moreover, it is this plot that sets it apart from Stoppard's earlier work. The characters in The Real Thing make up complex relationships and display emotions that add another facet to Stoppard's masterful control of the language. Dialogue seemlessly drifts between discussions of language to discussions of life, all the while maintaining the level of quality for which Stoppard is famous. It is a wonderful play demonstrating wit, intelligence, cleverness, and overall entertainment in a variety of ways.

As Ros. and Guil. used Hamlet and Travesties used the Importance of Being Ernest, The Real Thing contains certain references to 'Tis Pity She's a Whore that make that Jacobean tragedy a helpful piece of background reading.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply superb, May 24, 2000

By	M. L. Arnautov "Mike Arnautov" (Bucks., UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This play is very funny in places, very moving in places, very absorbing in places -- all of it in an apparently seamless whole of the high Stoppardian quality. How does the man do it? How does one write a dissertation on the art of writing using a cricket bat as a teaching aid? To quote another recent Stoppard's work: "It's a mystery!..."

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great play by Stoppard!, December 2, 2008

By	Marilyn Squier (Fiskdale, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tom Stoppard is my favorite playwright. Yet, the first time I read The Real Thing, I really disliked it. I didn't find his focus on adultry at all compelling. When I read the play for a second time, I realized that it had a lot of merit that I had not previously noticed. For example, he examines the relationship between polemic and artistic creation, between the artistry of writing and writing which is personal and passionate. Is it a good thing to be able to manipulate words for any occasion, or is it better to feel strongly about what you are writing?