What Really Happens The plot of The Real Thing Henry, a successful playwright, is married to an actress, Charlotte, who is playing the lead in his current play; he has fallen in love with another actress, Annie, for whom he soon leaves Charlotte. But is his new love "the real thing"? Underlying the major themes of love and adultery are related concerns. Does art imitate life? Is it possible that life imitates Art? Must art have a political and social value, as many people in Britain were then arguing, or can it stand alone, as art for art's sake? Stoppard argues that intellectuals are taking political expression for literature, and he makes a strong case that art should be valued for its aesthetic merits alone.
Awards 1984 Tony Award Best Play 1984 Tony Award Best Actor in Play Jeremy Irons 1984 Tony Award Best Actress in a Play Glenn Close 2000 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play 2000 Tony Award Best Actor in Play Stephen Dillane 2000 Tony Award Best Actress in a Play Jennifer Ehle 2000 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play Sarah Woodward [nominee] 2000 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play David Leveaux [nominee]
Syracuse Stage 35
2004-2005 Study Guide education office: 443-1150 or syracusestage.org/education.html
The Real Thing
The Real Thing is about marriage and writing, emotional fidelity and intellectual integrity, high art and pop culture.