Travesties

Tom Stoppard’s Travesties is a play that follows the often-faulty memories of Henry Carr, an elderly man who spent time in Zurich, Switzerland, during the First World War. At that time, the city was also inhabited by several revolutionary thinkers, including modernist author James Joyce; founder of Dada, Tristan Tzara; and pre-Russian revolution Vladimir Lenin. Travesties follows Carr’s interaction with these men, often shaped by his mixed feelings about a production of The Importance of Being Earnest-- where he, Carr, played the leading role of Algernon and James Joyce acted as business manager. First produced in 1974, Travesties has been awarded the Tony for Best Play, as well as the Drama Critic’s Circle Award and the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy. It has been most recently revived in 2016 at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, to rave reviews.