Play has the real thing

Thirty years after its premiere with Roger Rees and Felicity Kendal, The Real Thing gets a new production directed by Kate Saxton and starring Gerald Kyd and Marianne Oldham, which runs from May 4 to 26 before going on a national tour.

A brilliant and celebrated playwright, Henry has cast his wife Charlotte in the starring role of his new play, examining the complexity of love and infidelity. Reality and fiction blur when passions ignite and his own marriage becomes entwined with that of Charlotte’s co-star Max and his wife Annie.

As Henry struggles to write a new work, the players in this game of deceit and lust are all searching. But can any of them find The Real Thing?

Sir Tom Stoppard is one of the most important writers of today, with a theatre and film career spanning five decades (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia, Empire of the Sun, Shakespeare in Love).

First performed in 1982, The Real Thing sees Stoppard at the height of his powers having been described as sparklingly witty, genuinely moving and thought-provoking.

This play is one of his most richly acclaimed works (Evening Standard Award: Best Play, Drama Desk Award: Outstanding New Play, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award: Best Play, Tony Award: Best Play).

Tickets for The Real Thing cost £17-£27, available from www.wyp.org.uk or the box office on 0113 213 7700.