''Travesties'' is a 1974 play by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

. It centres on the figure of Henry Carr, an old man who reminisces about

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

in 1917 during the First World War, and his interactions with

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

when he was writing '' Ulysses'',

Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, c ...

during the rise of

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

, and

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

leading up to the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, all of whom were living in Zürich at that time.

Background

The real Henry Carr was a minor consular official who played Algernon in a production of ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

'' in Zürich in 1917 in a group of actors called The English Players, for whom the real

was the business manager. Carr and Joyce had an angry disagreement after the production, which led to legal action and accusations of slander by Joyce. The dispute was settled with the judge deciding in favour of both disputants on different counts. Joyce later had his revenge by parodying Carr and the English Consul General in Zürich at that time, A. Percy Bennett, as two minor characters in '' Ulysses'', with Carr being portrayed as a drunken, obscene soldier in the "

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

" episode. In the 1970s,

, struck by the fact that Joyce,

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

and the

ist poet

were all in Zurich in 1917, wrote a play that brought all three together seen through the unreliable memory of the octogenarian Carr looking back five decades later. In ''Travesties'' Carr is the central figure with the others in orbit around him. He is seen both as an old man reminiscing and as the young man of 1917 – the same actor plays both Carrs. After the first performance of ''Travesties'', Stoppard received a letter from Henry Carr's widow expressing her surprise that her late husband had been included as a character in Stoppard's play.

Plot

The play is set in

, Switzerland during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and in the 1970s. In 1917, three historicallly important figures were living in Zürich: the

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

author James Joyce, the communist revolutionary

, and the

founder

. The play centres on the less notable Henry Carr, a British consular official, as he recalls his encounters with these three. As he reminisces, Carr's memory becomes prone to distraction, and the narrative veers away from historical accuracy. The young Carr spies on Lenin, argues with Tzara about the nature of true art, is persuaded by Joyce to play Algernon and later quarrels over the cost of buying new trousers for the role. The old Carr concludes the first act: After further confused memories and mix-ups in the second act, the old Carr concludes the play:

Production history

Original production

''Travesties'' was first produced at the Aldwych Theatre, London, on 10 June 1974, by the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. The production was directed by Peter Wood and designed by Carl Toms. It closed on 13 March 1976 after 156 performances at the

Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it, in the City of Westminster, part of Greater London, and is part of the West End of London, West End West End Theatre, Theatreland. T ...

and the

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: Given name * Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator Surname * A. S. Albery, British politician * Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario * Do ...

s in London, and the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York. * Henry Carr – John Wood * Tristan Tzara –

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

* James Joyce – Tom Bell * Vladimir Lenin –

Frank Windsor Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs. Early life Wi ...

* Bennett – John Bott * Gwendolen – Maria Aitken * Cecily –

Beth Morris Bethan "Beth" Morris (19 July 1943 – 1 March 2018) was a Welsh actress. Born in Gorseinon and a lifetime native of Swansea, she was probably best known for her performance as Julia Drusilla in the 1976 BBC adaptation of '' I, Claudius''. ...

* Nadya – Barbara Leigh-Hunt ;Cast changes * Tristan Tzara:

Robert Powell Robert Thomas Powell ( ; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in '' Mahler'' (1974) and '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) ...

;

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...

* James Joyce: John Quentin;

James Booth James Booth (born David Noel Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Private Henry Hook in '' Zulu.'' ''Variety'' called him "a punchy b ...

* Vladimir Lenin: Harry Towb * Gwendolen: Meg Wynn Owen * Nadya: Frances Cuka

1993 production

A revival of the play, directed by Adrian Noble and featuring a revised text that abbreviated Cecily's lecture on Lenin in Act II by moving much of it to the interval, was staged by the

at its theatre in the Barbican Arts Centre in September 1993. The production transferred to the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

in March 1994. * Henry Carr – Antony Sher * Tristan Tzara – David Westhead * James Joyce –

Lloyd Hutchinson Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' ("grey") or ' ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American singer Places Un ...

* Vladimir Lenin – Geoffrey Freshwater * Bennett – Trevor Martin * Gwendolen Carr – Rebecca Saire * Cecily Carruthers – Amanda Harris * Nadya – Darlene Johnson

2016–2017 production

A new revival, directed by Patrick Marber, was performed at the Menier Chocolate Factory from September until November 2016. The production "broke box office records at the Menier Chocolate Factory, becoming the first play in the company’s history to sell out ahead of its first preview". In February 2017 the play, and company, transferred to the Apollo Theatre in London, where the run continued until April 2017. * Henry Carr – Tom Hollander * Gwendolen Carr – Amy Morgan * Tristan Tzara – Freddie Fox * Cecily Carruthers – Clare Foster * Vladimir Lenin – Forbes Masson * James Joyce – Peter McDonald * Nadya – Sarah Quist * Bennett – Tim Wallers The production's designer was Tim Hatley, the lighting designer Neil Austin, and Adam Cork was the sound designer and composer of original music.

2018 production

Patrick Marber's revival transferred to Broadway in spring 2018, with Tom Hollander reprising his role as Henry Carr and Peter McDonald reprising his performance as James Joyce. Travesties opened on 24 April 2018 at the Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theater in New York. * Henry Carr – Tom Hollander * James Joyce – Peter McDonald * Tristan Tzara – Seth Numrich * Lenin – Dan Butler * Gwendolen – Scarlett Strallen * Cecily – Sara Topham * Nadya – Opal Alladin * Bennett – Patrick Kerr The

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization, non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fr ...

's education team have produced an 'Upstage' guide to ''Travesties'' which puts the play's themes in historical context and contains interviews with the director, cast, and crew. The revival has been praised by critics with Ben Brantley of ''The New York Times'' commenting that he "...would venture that this latest incarnation is the clearest and surely one of the liveliest on record. It should prove ridiculously entertaining for anyone with even a passing knowledge of its central characters, and a stroll through the groves of Wikipedia should offer adequate preparation for anyone else."

2019 Australian production

The Australian premiere of the 2016 script adaptation opened in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in winter 2019, with Dion Mills taking the role of Henry Carr. The production was directed by Jennifer Sarah Dean. * Henry Carr – Dion Mills * James Joyce – Johnathan Peck * Tristan Tzara – Matthew Connell * Lenin – Syd Brisbane * Gwendolen – Joanna Halliday * Cecily – Gabrielle Sing * Nadya – Milliana Cancur * Bennett – Tref Gare

Awards and nominations

;Awards ;1976 Broadway Production * 1976 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play * 1976

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, an Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non-musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...

* 1976 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy * 1976 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play – John Wood ;Nominations ;2017 West End Production * Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival * Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor – Tom Hollander * Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Freddie Fox *

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The Oliviers were established as the Society of West End th ...

– Claire Foster * Laurence Olivier Award for Best Sound Design – Adam Cork *

WhatsOnStage Award The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional p ...

for Best Play Revival *

for Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Freddie Fox ;2018 Broadway Revival * Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play * Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Tom Hollander * Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play – Adam Cork * Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play – Patrick Marber * Drama Desk Award for Best Revival of a Play * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play – Tom Hollander *

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...

for Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) *

for Outstanding Actor in a Play – Tom Hollander *

for Outstanding Director of a Play – Patrick Marber * Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play * Distinguished Performance Award – Tom Hollander and Seth Numrich

References

Sources

External links

* (show) * (production) {{Authority control 1974 plays Broadway plays New York Drama Critics' Circle Award winners Plays by Tom Stoppard Tony Award–winning plays Plays based on real people Cultural depictions of Vladimir Lenin James Joyce