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The Real Thing West End

The Real Thing 2024

Opened: August 28, 2024
Closing: October 26, 2024

The Real Thing - West End History , Info & More

The Old Vic
103 The Cut London

‘There are no commitments, only bargains.’



Annie is an actress, Henry is a playwright, and fiction is the backdrop to life. Hardly a recipe for a faithful marriage, especially when it started as an affair.



But does it matter how it began if what they have is the real thing?



Diving through layers of play and performance, reality and deceit, The Real Thing is Tom Stoppard’s kaleidoscopic comedy of love, infidelity and the stories we tell. Starring James McArdle (Mare of Easttown, The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Bel Powley (A Small Light, The Morning Show), and directed by Max Webster (Macbeth, Life of Pi).



__Assisted Performances:__


Audio Described, 11 Oct, 7.30pm (Touch Tour, 5.30pm)


Relaxed, (audio described, captioned and BSL interpreted) 12 Oct, 2.30pm


Captioned, 14 Oct, 7.30pm


BSL Interpreted, 17 Oct, 7.30pm


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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Real Thing

The Real Thing – The Old Vic | Review
9 / 10

The Real Thing is a palimpsest of a play that is so rich that I wanted to go straight back to the text and savour the language on the page as well as the stage. The riches are too many and complex to be garnered in one viewing, enjoyable as that was last night. So, it’s a real joy to see this play. I will definitely go back for a second viewing.

'The Real Thing' review – this witty, strikingly cast Stoppard revival balances brilliance with a beating heart
8 / 10

What a pleasure to have Tom Stoppard’s brilliantly inventive 1982 Tony-winning play The Real Thing back in London. Even better, both its formal daring and its frank, subversive portrait of complicated relationships are thoughtfully handled in Max Webster’s stylish and strikingly cast revival.

Review Roundup: THE REAL THING at The Old Vic
by Chloe Rabinowitz - September 5, 2024


See what the critics are saying about The Real Thing at The Old Vic! Read the reviews and learn more about the production.

Review: THE REAL THING, The Old Vic
by Gary Naylor - September 4, 2024


Hard going with characters largely bereft of sympathetic virtues, delivering dialogue long on ideas, but short on heart

The Real Thing History

Other Productions of The Real Thing

1984   Broadway
Broadway
2000   Broadway Broadway Revival
Broadway
2010   West End Old Vic Production
West End
2014   Broadway Roundabout Theatre Production
Broadway
   West End
West End

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