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Title details for The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard - Available

The Real Thing

by Tom Stoppard
Andrea Bowen
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

Henry may be the wittiest playwright of his generation, but he's hopelessly naïve when it comes to understanding love and infidelity. Writing about betrayal is one thing, living with it is another. After Henry leaves his wife for another woman, he's confronted with being the cuckold himself. Both dazzlingly clever and emotionally naked, Henry's search for the "the real thing" in art and love demonstrates beautifully why both are worth the effort in the end. A full-cast production featuring: Andrea Bowen, Matt Gaydos, Carolyn Seymour, Simon Templeman, Douglas Weston, Joanne Whalley and Matthew Wolf.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 4, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781580815994
      • File size: 50332 KB
      • Duration: 01:44:51

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Wordsmith Tom Stoppard's semi-autobiographical romantic comedy wowed audiences on the West End and Broadway. This superbly performed audio version, recorded before an appreciative studio audience, does the same. Henry, a playwright known for his witty and cynical oeuvre, is in real life a romantic--an insecure one at that. The infidelities of Annie, the actress he loves, and her incomprehensible support for a thuggish Scottish radical, force him to reexamine his idea of the "real thing" he yearns for. Particularly in the mouths of Simon Templeman, as Henry, and Carolyn Seymour, as Henry's first wife, the dialogue sparkles. As Annie, Joanne Whalley does a serviceable job but has two problems. She occasionally steps on Henry's laughs, and she doesn't vocally project the appeal that makes Henry's predicament so acute. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 26, 2009
      A talented ensemble cast brings to life Stoppard's classic play featuring the loves and loves lost of playwright Henry; his wife, Charlotte; an actor named Max; and his activist wife, Annie. Featuring a play within a play, this production is superbly performed if slightly confusing in audiobook format—it's often difficult to keep track of who is speaking and to keep track of the endlessly reconfiguring relationships. Henry searches for meaning both in art and romantic relationships as he attempts to write a play about his love for Annie and begrudgingly ghostwrites a play for Brodie, an incarcerated soldier and talentless, aspiring playwright. Templeman shines as Henry, perfectly capturing his wit, bravado and pathos. With terrific performances from the supporting cast, this audiobook will delight Stoppard fans and theater lovers.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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