Travesties

The first performance of Travesties took place at the Aldwych Theatre, London, on June 10, 1974, in a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play was directed by Peter Wood, and designed by Carl Toms, with lighting by Robert Ornbo. It closed March 30th, 1976 after 156 performances.

Related Topics:
Aldwych Theatre - 1974 - Royal Shakespeare Company - Peter Wood - Carl Toms - Robert Ornbo

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The original cast is as follows:

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HENRY CARR -- John Wood

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TRISTAN TZARA -- John Hurt

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JAMES JOYCE -- Tom Bell

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LENIN -- Frank Windsor

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BENNETT -- John Bot

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GWENDOLEN -- Maria Aitken

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CECILY -- Beth Morris

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NADYA -- Barbara Leigh-Hunt

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Travesties is a comedic play by Tom Stoppard, produced in 1974. It takes place primarily in Zurich during World War I and explores three important 20th-century personalities who lived in Zurich at that time: modernist author James Joyce, communist revolutionary Lenin, and Dadaist founder Tristan Tzara. Years later, the English consular official Henry Carr, who is likewise a real person, describes his past interaction with these influential figures. As he explores his recollections, Carr's now geriatric memory becomes prone to distraction, and instead of predictable historical biography, these figures are interpreted through the maze of his mind.

Related Topics:
Comedic - Tom Stoppard - 1974 - Zurich - World War I - 20th-century - Modernist - James Joyce - Communist - Lenin - Dadaist - Tristan Tzara

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Carr had performed in a production of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest with Joyce. Stoppard uses this production and Carr's mixed feelings surrounding it as a framework to explore art, the war and revolution. Situations from Earnest feature prominently within the action. Travesties characters also includes versions of two of Earnest's: Gwendolen and Cecily.

Related Topics:
Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest

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Stoppard uses many intellectual and theatrical devices within the play, including puns, limericks, and even a vaudeville song.

Related Topics:
Intellectual - Theatrical - Puns - Limericks - Vaudeville - Song

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