The Real Thing: A Play Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
The play begins with Max and Charlotte, a couple whose marriage seems about to rupture. But nothing one sees on a stage is the real thing, and some things are less real than others. Charlotte is an actress who has been appearing in a play about marriage by her husband, Henry. Max, her leading man, is also married to an actress, Annie. Both marriages are at the point of rupture because Henry and Annie have fallen in love. But is it the real thing?In The Real Thing, Tom Stoppard combines his characteristically brilliant wordplay and wit with flashes of insight that illuminate the nature--and the mystery--of love, creating a multi-toned play that challenges the mind while searching out the innermost secrets of the heart.
Paperback: 81 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0571125298
ISBN-13: 978-0571125296
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.2 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #88,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #16 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Playwriting #151 in Books > Literature & Fiction > British & Irish > Dramas & Plays #196 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Regional & Cultural > European
As what is considered a turning point in Stoppard's ability to write romance, The Real Thing includes the usual ingenius commentary on life and art this time woven through a love story. Thus, the play can be enjoyed for the usual Stoppardian elevated language and fascinating explanations of quality art as well as its touching yet clever romantic plot. Moreover, it is this plot that sets it apart from Stoppard's earlier work. The characters in The Real Thing make up complex relationships and display emotions that add another facet to Stoppard's masterful control of the language. Dialogue seemlessly drifts between discussions of language to discussions of life, all the while maintaining the level of quality for which Stoppard is famous. It is a wonderful play demonstrating wit, intelligence, cleverness, and overall entertainment in a variety of ways.As Ros. and Guil. used Hamlet and Travesties used the Importance of Being Ernest, The Real Thing contains certain references to 'Tis Pity She's a Whore that make that Jacobean tragedy a helpful piece of background reading.
This play is very funny in places, very moving in places, very absorbing in places -- all of it in an apparently seamless whole of the high Stoppardian quality. How does the man do it? How does one write a dissertation on the art of writing using a cricket bat as a teaching aid? To quote another recent Stoppard's work: "It's a mystery!..."
I truely enjoyed this revival of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. It has been one of my favorite plays since the original Broadway production with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. At one time, there was an audio version of that cast (I had it on cassette tape,) which is now out of print. I have looked everywhere! Nobody has it available.PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! ---re-release THAT version of the play on CD. It would make a fantastic addition to anyone's collection of spoken word recordings.
Tom Stoppard is my favorite playwright. Yet, the first time I read The Real Thing, I really disliked it. I didn't find his focus on adultry at all compelling. When I read the play for a second time, I realized that it had a lot of merit that I had not previously noticed. For example, he examines the relationship between polemic and artistic creation, between the artistry of writing and writing which is personal and passionate. Is it a good thing to be able to manipulate words for any occasion, or is it better to feel strongly about what you are writing?
If you're going to read a play, this is the one. The dialogue is so witty and the story line if wonderful. Pure pleasure.
This is my favorite Stoppard play, but until I listened to this version, I hadn't realized how much of my appreciation was for the original production. This version is competently done (not easy when converting a stage play to audio-only), but it does under-emphasize some of my favorite lines. (This production also misses, through no fault of its own, the Stoppardian mixing of fiction and reality, past and future, of a an adulterous playwright writing a play about an adulterous playwright writing a play about adultery, who ends up committing adultery with the star in reality.)
Exceptional book by a great writer---one of his best. Book arrived quickly and in great condition.
GREAT READ
The Real Book of Real Estate: Real Experts. Real Stories. Real Life The Real Thing: A Play Real Estate: 25 Best Strategies for Real Estate Investing, Home Buying and Flipping Houses (Real Estate, Real Estate Investing, home buying, flipping houses, ... income, investing, entrepreneurship) Real Estate: 30 Best Strategies to Prosper in Real Estate - Real Estate Investing, Financing & Cash Flow (Real Estate Investing, Flipping Houses, Brokers, Foreclosure) The Mystery at Jamestown (Real Kids, Real Places) (Real Kids! Real Places! (Paperback)) Ultimate Drum Play-Along Led Zeppelin, Vol 1: Play Along with 8 Great-Sounding Tracks (Authentic Drum), Book & 2 CDs (Ultimate Play-Along) The Perfect Play: Play-by-Play, Book 1 Ultimate Guitar Play-Along Led Zeppelin, Vol 1: Play Along with 8 Great-Sounding Tracks (Authentic Guitar TAB), Book & 2 CDs (Ultimate Play-Along) Ultimate Easy Guitar Play-Along -- The Doors: Eight Songs with Full TAB, Play-Along Tracks, and Lesson Videos (Easy Guitar TAB), Book & DVD (Ultimate Easy Play-Along) Just Play: Book 3 Last Play Romance Series (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion) (The Last Play Series) The Vegan Scoop: 150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream that Tastes Better Than the "Real" Thing The One Real Thing: Hart's Boardwalk, Book 1 Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World Real-Time Systems and Programming Languages: Ada, Real-Time Java and C/Real-Time POSIX (4th Edition) (International Computer Science Series) What NOT to Write: Real Essays, Real Scores, Real Feedback (California Edition) (LawTutors California Bar Exam Essay Books) Yellow Roses Student Book: Real Girls. Real Life. Real Hope. (NavPress Devotional Readers) How to Start Your Own Real Estate Photography Business!: A Step-by-Step Guide to Show You How to Begin Your Own Real Estate Photography Business in 14 ... for real estate, photographing houses) PASSIVE INCOME :REAL ESTATE (Book #5): Proven Strategies on how to succeed in the real estate market and make it an impressive source of passive income(real ... made easy beginner) (MONEY IS POWER) The Book on Investing In Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down: Real Life Strategies for Investing in Real Estate Using Other People's Money Florida Real Estate Law and Practice Explained (All Florida School of Real Estate - Florida Real Estate Mastery) (Volume 1)
