Travesties is a comedic play by Tom Stoppard, first produced at the Aldwych Theatre, London, on June 10, 1974, in a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE (born 3 July 1937 is a British Screenwriter playwright The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC is a British Theatre company The play was directed by Peter Wood and designed by Carl Toms, with lighting by Robert Ornbo. Peter Wood or Peter Woods may refer to Peter Atte Wood ( fl 1325-1382 English justice Pete Wood (1867-1927 Carl Toms OBE (born 1927-died August 4, 1999) was a British set and costume designer who is known for his work in Theatre, Opera, It closed March 13, 1976 after 156 performances at the Aldwych then the Albery Theatres in London and the Ethel Barrymore Theater, New York, USA. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
An important revival with revised text, greatly shortening Cecily's Act II lecture on Lenin, was given by the Royal Shakespeare Company at its theatre in the Barbican Arts Centre in September 1993, directed by Adrian Noble. Barbican Centre is the largest Performing arts centre in Europe Adrian Keith Noble (born Chichester, Sussex, England, 19 July 1950) is a Theatre director, and was also the Artistic The production transferred to the Savoy Theatre in March 1994 and ran there until June 1994. The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London England A reading was given at the British Library in February 2008, featuring John Hurt. John Vincent Hurt, CBE (born 22 January 1940 is an English Actor.
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Plot and structure
The play's setting is primarily Zurich during World War I. Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Three important 20th-century personalities were living in Zurich at that time: the modernist author James Joyce, the communist revolutionary Lenin, and the Dadaist founder Tristan Tzara. Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Tristan Tzara (born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S The less notable English consular official Henry Carr, who is likewise a real person and was similarly in Zurich, years later recalls his perceptions and his experiences with these influential figures. As he reminisces, Carr's now geriatric memory becomes prone to distraction, and instead of predictable historical biography, these characters are interpreted through the maze of his mind.
Carr's memories are couched in a Zurich production of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest in which he had a starring role. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde. It premiered on February 14, 1895 at the St 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 and the comedic situations of many of the other roles are shared by other characters.
Stoppard uses many intellectual and theatrical devices within the play, including puns, limericks, and even a vaudeville song. An intellectual (from the adjective meaning "involving thought and reason" is a person who tries to use his or her Intelligence and analytical thinking, Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one A pun (or paronomasia) is a Phrase that deliberately exploits confusion between similar-sounding Words for humorous or Rhetorical A limerick is a five-line Poem with a strict form originally popularized in English by Edward Lear. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed
Historically, the real Carr did play Algernon with a group of actors called "The English Players", for whom the real James Joyce was the business manager. (Carr and Joyce had an angry disagreement after the play, which led to legal action and accusations of slander by Joyce. The dispute was settled, with the judge deciding in favor of both disputants on different counts. Joyce would go on to parody Carr and the English Consul General in Zurich at that time, A. Percy Bennett, as two minor characters in Ulysses, with Carr portrayed as a drunken, obscene soldier in the "Circe" episode. Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920 ) According to Stoppard, this piece of historical trivia was the spark which catalyzed the ideas behind the rest of the show. Although quite a few historical inaccuracies are present throughout the production, these can be seen as mistakes (purposeful and accidental) from Carr's addled mind.
On the first performance of Travesties, Stoppard received a letter from the real Henry Carr's widow, expressing her surprise that her late husband had found himself imagined as a character in Stoppard's play. [1]
Original cast
- Henry Carr – John Wood
- Tristan Tzara – John Hurt
- James Joyce – Tom Bell
- Vladimir Lenin – Frank Windsor
- Bennett – John Bott
- Gwendolen – Maria Aitken
- Cecily – Beth Morris
- Nadya – Barbara Leigh-Hunt
During the run the following cast changes were made:
- Tristan Tzara: Robert Powell; Tim Curry
- James Joyce: John Quentin; James Booth
- Vladimir Lenin: Harry Towb
- Gwendolen: Meg Wynn Owen
- Nadya: Frances Cuka
1993 cast
- Henry Carr - Antony Sher
- Tristan Tzara - David Westhead
- James Joyce - Lloyd Hutchinson
- Vladimir Lenin - Geoffrey Freshwater
- Bennett - Trevor Martin
- Gwendolen Carr - Rebecca Saire
- Cecily Carruthers - Amanda Harris
- Nadya - Darlene Johnson
Awards
- Won 1974 Tony Award for Best Performance by an actor for John Wood, Best Comedy for Tom Stoppard. John Wood, CBE, (born January 1, 1930) is an English Actor. Biography Wood was born in Derbyshire. John Vincent Hurt, CBE (born 22 January 1940 is an English Actor. Tom Bell ( 2 August 1933 &ndash 4 October 2006) was an English actor on stage film and television Frank Windsor (born Frank W Higgins 12 July 1927, Walsall, West Midlands) is an English actor mainly on television Maria Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is a British actress and director Beth Morris (born 19 July 1949 in Gorseinon, Swansea, Wales) is an actress noted for her roles in Television. Barbara Leigh-Hunt (born 14 December 1935) Bath, England, is a British Actress who has appeared on stage, Robert Powell (born 1 June 1944) is a well-known English television and film Actor, probably most famous for his title role in Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946 is an English Actor, Singer, Voice actor, and Composer, as well as having a career as a James Booth (born David Geeves; 19 December, 1927 - 11 August, 2005) was an English Film, stage Harry Towb (born 27 July, 1925, in Larne, County Antrim in Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish Actor. Meg Wynn Owen (born 1939 is a Welsh actress, who is best known for her role as Hazel Bellamy, nee Forrest in the television series Upstairs Frances Cuka (born 21 August 1936, London, England) is a British Actor, principally on television Sir Antony Sher KBE (born 14 June 1949) is a British actor writer theatre director and painter Trevor Martin is a British actor He has had many parts in both Television and Film. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented
- Won New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best play of 1975-1976 season. The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of twenty-two Drama Critics from daily Newspapers, Magazines and Wire services
References
- http://www.sff.net/people/mberry/travest.htp
- http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/2636/travest.htm
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