The Real Thing
Synopsis | Information | Reviews | Pictures

»   SYNOPSIS

An exploration of the theme of life imitating art (and vice versa) using the "play within a play" device, Stoppard's The Real Thing is the author's take on marriage, art, adultery, love and the many shades of confusion surrounding all of the above. The play focuses on two couples (a playwright and three actors) and their dissolving marriages, instances of infidelity and relationships with their new spouses, resulting in all four protagonists questioning the truth and nature of their respective relationships and approaches to love and life.




»   INFORMATION

Dates (first run):
Location:

Dates (second run):
Location:


Written by:
Directed by:
On stage as:

Full cast:

 Henry
Annie
Billy
Max
Charlotte
Brodie
Debbie


 May 11 - May 27, 2006
National Arts Centre Theatre, NAC, Ottawa

June 17 - July 29, 2006
Charles and Marilyn Baillie Theatre, Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto

Tom Stoppard
Diana Leblanc
Annie



. . . Albert Schultz
. . . Megan Follows
. . . Matthew Edison
. . . C. David Johnson
. . . Kristina Nicoll
. . . Jeff Lillico
. . . Krystin Pellerin






»   REVIEWS

"The great virtue of Diana Leblanc's direction is how clearly she emphasizes Henry's moral education as the throughline in a play that can seem like a series of clever set pieces. Schultz delineates Henry's change with great subtlety as he gradually comes to accept that life is messier than his absolutist views have allowed. Follows is outstanding in expressing what is said and unsaid in "real" love that accommodates both fallibility and forgiveness."
– Christopher Hoile, Eye Weekly



"There are many fine moments and performances here, including Megan Follows as Annie and Albert Schultz as Henry, the actress and playwright who must discover if their private passion is the real thing or a doomed affair."
– Kamal Al-Solaylee, The Globe and Mail



"Soulpepper heavies Follows and Schultz deliver on great expectations. Schultz's performance as hopelessly single-minded romantic Henry anchors Follows's flighty Annie. Theirs is a polarizing love: he's a team player, she's an individualist; he longs for her devotion, she for his trust. Their chemistry infuses their every action."
– Kate Pedersen, NOW Magazine


"Follows is Annie, the lover-turned-second-wife, and she brings texture and hints of warmth to a role that has her skittering across the emotional landscape, always searching and not often finding. She and Schultz set the superior acting tone, but there are no false notes anywhere in the cast."
– Janice Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen



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»   PICTURES