The Real Thing (play)

The Real Thing
The Real Thing
	Cover of the Faber and Faber edition
Written by	Tom Stoppard
Characters	Annie; Henry; Charlotte; Billy; Debbie; Brodie; Max;
Date premiered	16 November 1982
Place premiered	The Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre), London
Original language	English
Subject	Love, reality versus fiction
Genre	Drama

The Real Thing is a play by Tom Stoppard that was first performed in 1982. The play focuses on the relationship between Henry and Annie, an actress and member of a group fighting to free Brodie, a Scottish soldier imprisoned for burning a memorial wreath during a protest.

The Real Thing examines the nature of honesty and uses various constructs, including a play within a play, to explore the theme of reality versus appearance. It has been described as one of Stoppard's "most popular, enduring and autobiographical plays."^[1]

^ Baddeley, Anna (29 January 2015). "The Telegraph's original verdicts on Tom Stoppard's plays". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 July 2019.

[1] Baddeley, Anna (29 January 2015). "The Telegraph's original verdicts on Tom Stoppard's plays". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 July 2019.

[1]