Tom Stoppard's play "Rock 'n' Roll is set in Czechoslovakia in 1968, a time of political liberalization that ended up being crushed by Soviet tanks. At the same time, the play also takes place in the rarified air of academic life in Cambridge, England.
This month's issue of Vanity Fair has an essay by Stoppard, in which he describes his play as being "partly about Communism, partly about consciousness, slightly about Sappho, and mainly about Czechoslovakia between 1968 and 1990," and a q&a where the playwright discusses, among other things, his fascination with Syd Barrett, the late Pink Floyd frontman.
It's one of the plays I'm most looking forward to seeing on Broadway next month. (If there's no lockout, fingers and toes crossed). I'm interested in how Stoppard deals with a tumultuous time, how he switches between the worlds of Prague and Cambridge, and what he may, or may not, have to say about rock 'n' roll as a force for political and social change.
5 comments:
Looking forward to sharing this experience with you!
I think you know how excited I am. I can't wait! The hard part is trying to stay away from articles like the ones in Vanity Fair until after I see the show. I'm torn between wanting to read everything I can before I go, and not wanting to read too much so I can be surprised by what happens on stage.
I know what you mean, Esther. I like to have cursory understanding of a show before I get there.
It's a great play certainly, if a little too aware of it's own cleverness. You're getting the original UK cast, more or less, right? Rufus Sewell was amazing in it when I saw it in London.
According to Playbill, "Imported from the original London production are Nicole Ansari, Sinead Cusack, Brian Cox, Alice Eve and Rufus Sewell."
I remember Rufus Sewell from "The Illusionist," and he was good in that. I'm looking forward to seeing him on stage.
Thanks for the comment!
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