The Real Thing
Music is a featured character in Tom Stoppard 's The Real Thing , being given a terrific revival, directed by Sam Gold , by Roundabout Theatre Company. The title made the U2 song, "Even Better Than the Real Thing," get stuck in my head, and that's apropos given the subject matter. The song (not featured in the play) is about a person trying to win over his lover; the chorus proclaims, "you're the real thing // even better than the real thing." Stoppard's play is about relationships, the difference between art and "the real thing," trying to find the elusive real thing—whatever that looks like. Stoppard ( Arcadia ) is an intelligent and eloquent writer, so you must pay attention to what the talented ensemble is saying; if you do, you'll find yourself fascinated by the way we interact with each other, by the differences between what we say, what we mean and what we mean to say. (What each character chooses to reveal and in what forum ...