The Real Thing is one of the most compelling plays we’ve seen – review

A little context, for those unfamiliar with The Real Thing (a category which included us until earlier this week). This is a revival of the play by celebrated British playwright Tom Stoppard, most famous recently for his 2020 play Leopoldstadt, which was a hit on both the West End and Broadway, and which picked up both the Olivier Award for Best New Play and the Tony Award for Best Play. The Real Thing is one of Stoppard’s earlier works and it’s a play in which, well, not a great deal actually happens – but don’t let that put you off, as it’s one of the most compelling pieces of theatre we’ve seen.

We’re initially introduced to Max (Oliver Johnstone) and Charlotte (Susan Wokoma) at their home. In the opening scene Max accuses Charlotte of having an affair – but all is not as it seems. It soon transpires that we’re seeing a play within a play, a deception this show utilises more than once. We soon meet playwright Henry (James McArdle) who has written the play the pair are starring in, and who is Charlotte’s actual partner, and then actress Annie (Bel Powley) who is married to Max. Over the course of two and a half hours we start to see some parallels between what is happening on and off stage.

As we said, not a tremendous amount actually happens during the show – the focus is largely on Max and Annie. We see Max writing and doing a guest appearance on Desert Island Discs, and we see Annie involved in various acting jobs and supporting a political cause that is of interest to her. But The Real Thing is an impressive character study – we really learn a lot about these people, how they see the world, what drives them, and their inner conflicts.

It also offers some insightful perspectives on a range of subjects, including the art of writing theatre itself – can a play be good simply by saying something important? Can it only be desirable if it’s artfully written? It’s a meta moment in a play full of them – the slick choreography of the dancing stagehands is another such moment, which is also wonderfully comedic.

We enjoyed our evening with The Real Thing – it’s a subtle play which may not actually do a huge amount but it certainly says an awful lot. It’s much more about the characters and their conversations, which are fascinating and hugely compelling to watch unfold.

GAY TIMES gives The Real Thing – 4/5

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