LIFE imitates art in Tom Stoppard’s comedy The Real Thing at Leamington’s Loft Theatre.
Henry, a playwright is unhappily married to Charlotte, the leading actress in his most recent play about a marriage on the verge of collapse.
Life imitates art as Henry’s affair with their actress friend Annie threatens to finally destroy his own marriage. When Annie decides to leave her husband Max, both marriages collapse, and Henry and Annie eventually marry.
But their life together is far from smooth, leaving Henry to wonder whether their love is fiction or truly the real thing.
Directed by Sue Moore, the roles of Henry and Annie are played by Richard Ely and Cathryn Bowler, with Julie-Ann Randall and Dave Crossfield as Charlotte and Max.
The cast also includes Peter Borsada as Brodie, an ex-soldier imprisoned for his anti-war activities, Oli Jones as Billy a young actor with whom Annie has an affair, and Emily Stuttard as Debbie the teenage daughter of Henry and Charlotte.
“When The Real Thing premiered in 1982 it may not have been predicted that it would become something of a classic”, said Sue. “I don’t think you can be truly gripped by theatre and not be in love with this play. It is very clever and that skill creates the most fantastic door into what I think great theatre is – emotion and thought in perfect symmetry. I hope our audiences relish watching it as much as we have enjoyed working on it”.
The Real Thing runs from April 22 to May 2.
Visit www.loft-theatre.co.uk for tickets and further details.
