Review: Travesties

Last night offered an absolute theatrical treat: Tom Stoppard's Travesties, currently showing at the Apollo Theatre, Soho; I enjoyed every minute of it.

Its blurb describes it thus:

Tom Stoppard’s dazzling comedy of art, love and revolution features James Joyce, Tristan Tzara and Lenin as remembered - and misremembered - by Henry Carr, a minor British diplomat in Zurich 1917.

When Gwendolen and Cecily wander in from The Importance of Being Earnest, Henry’s mind wanders too. He knows he was Algernon in a production in Zurich. But who was the other one?

Stoppard's play was written in 1974, but feels like it could have been produced in the last couple of years. Under Patrick Marber's direction, the work is pyrotechnic, with Tom Hollander and Freddie Fox leading a fantastic cast. The two hours thirty fly by as the improbable connections between a series of historical figures are remembered and misremembered by Hollander's character, Carr. The play with language and pace is a joy to witness, and, as has been my experience watching some of Stoppard's other work, when you understand the more intellectual references, you feel properly clever.

It's not all laughs though. The pathos we feel observing Carr's deterioration is real, and Lenin's journey to power holds some uncomfortable resonances for today. There are also some serious arguments made about the nature of art, which do not sound as if they were articulated in the 70s.

Travesties has been pretty much universally well received during this revival, and that must at least partly be due to its freshness and liveliness as a production. Another major draw is its charm. And then there is its well-groomed style. And, of course, the performances. I would struggle to isolate one single thing that made me enjoy this production so much: it's just so good. Everything about it.

If you can catch it before the end of the run, you definitely should.

5/5: Hysterically clever and rightfully proud of it
Apollo Theatre, Soho
Until 29th April