Rough Crossing and On the Razzle: Two Plays [Paperback]

Tom Stoppard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 25, 1991

Based on a classic farce, Play at the Castle by Ferenc Molnar, Rough Crossing takes place on shipboard as two playwrights struggle to finish a musical comedy and rehearse it before docking in New York; in On the Razzle, adapted from Einen Jux will er sich machen by Johann Nestroy, two shop assistants live it up while dodging their employer in the restaurants and nightspots of Nestroy's nineteenth-century Vienna. Both words and action reveal Tom Stoppard as a master of comic technique.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adaptation in Stoppard's terms means finding a sympathetic text and using it as a springboard for invention that leaves the original far behind."--Irving Wardle's description of the first production of Rough Crossing also applies to On the Razzle.

About the Author

Tom Stoppard's other work includes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tony Award), Jumpers, Travesties (Tony Award), Night and Day, After Margritte, The Real Thing (Tony Award), Enter a Free Man, Hapgood, Arcadia (Evening Standard Award, The Oliver Award and the Critics Award), Dalliance and Undiscovered Country, Indian Ink (a stage adaptation of his own play, In the Native State) and The Invention of Love.
His radio plays include The Dissolution of Dominic Boot, 'M' is for Moon Among Other Things, If You're Glad I'll Be Frank, Albert's Bridge (Italia Prize), Where Are They Now?, Artist Descending A Staircase, The Dog It Was That Died and In the Native State (Sony Award).
His work for television includes Professional Foul (Bafta Award, Broadcasting Press Guild Award). His film credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead which he also directed (winner of the Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival).

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (December 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571164013
• ISBN-13: 978-0571164011
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,603,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Stoppard is the author of such seminal works as Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Travesties, Every Good Boy Deserves a Favor, Arcadia, Jumpers, The Real Thing, and The Invention of Love.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely, totall, fantastically brilliant! (I liked it.), March 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Rough Crossing and On the Razzle: Two Plays (Paperback)

These two plays (in one volume) are ones that only true Stoppard devotees have read. When Stoppard's "accomplishments" are listed, they always include ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, JUMPERS, ARCADIA, and the likes. But they almost never include these two plays. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved all of the plays listed above (and just about everything else Stoppard has written), and I heartily recommend them. But "ROUGH CROSSING" AND "ON THE RAZZLE" certainly ought to be on the list. Both are adaptations of other plays (but in the same way that ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD is an adaptation of HAMLET -- that is, Stoppard takes the other plays as a starting point and goes from there) and both are absolutely hilarious. "ROUGH CROSSING" is the story of a producer, director, musician, and a couple of actors on a boat bound for New York and a Broadway theater. The only glitch is that they have to write the musical before they get there! In typical Stoppard form, the lead actor (Adam) has a speech impediment, so that he is always responding to a character after several other characters have already said something. Stoppard's genius lies in his ability to make Adam's statements mean different things depending on what they are responses to! The writing is difficult to describe, but a true treat to read. "On the Razzle" is equally complicated and equally funny. If you are a Stoppard fanatic or have never heard of the man before, GET THIS BOOK! You WILL enjoy it

5.0 out of 5 stars chaos, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rough Crossing and on the Razzle (Hardcover)

this play was hilarious. Rough Crossing is wonderful, and in usual Stoppard form, filled with quirky characters. Dvornechek (sp?), the waiter who keeps drinking the cognac he brings for his passengers, is one of the funniest characters i've come across. the others have their little "traits," too, adding up to a wonderfully confusing show.