Northern Stage Presents Stoppard's THE REAL THING Through 3/6

When is love "the real thing?" How can we separate what is "real" from what is only assumed? And does it really make a difference?

True to his reputation as one of the premier playwrights of his generation, Tom Stoppard doesn't answer those question in his Tony award-winning play The Real Thing, running at Northern Stage from through March 6. Instead, he poses the questions in fascinating and often hilarious ways. The play is almost like looking at love in a funhouse mirror; what you see depends on where you stand, and it seems to shape-shift before your eyes.

The play revolves around Henry, a successful (and somewhat pompous) playwright who seems unable to be as articulate as the characters he creates, a situation that Stoppard has admitted is somewhat autobiographical. From the top, the audience is treated to some sleight-of-hand; the married couple arguing in the first scene turn out to be actors in one of Henry's play and the actress is Henry's real-life wife, immediately causing the audience to question what is "the real thing." In the next scene, Henry mocks and argues with the actor's wife; then, when they are alone, they plot their affair.

Stoppard, the author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and the co-author of Shakespeare In Love, has gained a reputation for producing works that operate on multiple levels. The Real Thing stands as perhaps his most accessible play. The audience can sit back and enjoy the Noel Coward-like witty byplay of the characters and the unfolding of the fascinating plot. At the same time, the play abounds with puns and sly jokes.

The Real Thing, directed by Brooke Ciardelli, runs live on stage at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction through March 6, 2011. Performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., except for the Opening Night performance on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 p.m., with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Thursday, Feb. 24. For tickets and information, call 802-296-7000. Tickets are also available through the Northern Stage website, www.northernstage.org.