I saw Roundabout’s production of The Real Thing, by Tom Stoppard, this afternoon. I had no idea what it was about going into it and after leaving it, I’m pretty sure I still had no idea what it was about.

Cynthia Nixon, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Josh Hamilton play two couples that get all messy and intertwined. (I think.) It’s also a play where the first act is shorter than the second act. (And when you’re bored to tears in the first act, that’s not a good thing.) The second act was a BIT more engaging though, but I still left a bit confused and really sleepy.

The performances were great, some really emotional highs were pulled off stunningly by McGregor. After the show Gyllenhaal, McGregor, and Nixon all stood in the lobby of the theatre collecting money for BC/EFA. I thought that was pretty cool. Usually the stars are rushed backstage but they were awesome enough to give their time afterward.

I would recommend this show only to say you’ve seen these amazing actors onstage, not for the play itself, but maybe you’re more of a Stoppard fan than I am!

Advertisement