by Frank Scheck
It isn't always true that a writer's most accessible work is also his best, but it is certainly the case with this 1982 play by Tom Stoppard, being given a sterling Broadway revival at the Ethel Barrymore by London's red-hot Donmar Warehouse, also responsible for such recent Broadway hits as Cabaret and The Blue Room.
Staged impeccably and acted beautifully by the original British cast (given permission to perform here for a mere 20 weeks), this production is indeed The Real Thing.
Stoppard's play, best remembered here for Mike Nichols' sterling 1984 production starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close, manages to pack in myriad themes and ideas with maximum efficiency and impact. It is a love story; an exploration of the artistic process, particularly writing; a playful exercise in the differences between reality and illusion; a celebration of the ineffable joys of pop culture; an examination of the endless struggle between intellect and emotion; and much, much more.
Stephen Dillane and Jennifer Ehle, making their Broadway debuts, star in the central roles of Henry, an urbane, witty playwright, and Annie, a beautiful actress starring in his latest play. Henry and Annie, both married, are having an affair, a situation mirrored in a scene presented from Henry's latest work, aptly titled House of Cards. Soon, they discard their spouses and get together, only to have the past repeat itself a couple of years later when Annie has an affair with a younger co-star. Henry, who has always prided himself on his ability to manipulate life with a well-chosen phrase, suddenly discovers that emotions are not so easily controlled.
This work by Stoppard, a playwright often prone to excessive manipulation himself, bears his usual trademarks, including droll, witty dialogue and theatrical tricks played on the audience to make them question their assumptions. But it is also grounded in an emotional reality that makes it very moving. This production, directed by David Leveaux, is far more low-key than Nichols' supremely polished version, but its understated quality makes it that much more affecting. There are moments that don't quite work -- Henry's howl of anguish at the revelation of Annie's infidelity is unconvincing -- but, by and large, the production mines the text's essential qualities.
Dillane gives a charmingly rumpled performance, making Henry likable despite his affectations, and Ehle is thoroughly winning as the high-spirited Annie; both will no doubt be major candidates during the upcoming awards season. Nigel Lindsay and Sarah Woodward are excellent as the displaced spouses, and Charlotte Parry, Oscar Pearce and Joshua Henderson make the most of their relatively brief roles. It runs indefinitely.
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