Travesties

Play

Writers: Tom Stoppard

Overview

Show Information

Category
Play
Number of Acts
2
Tony Award®
Best Play 1974
First Produced
1974
Genres
Comedy
Settings
Period, Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
zurich, switzerland during the first world war
Cast Size
medium
Licensor
Ideal for
Diverse Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre
Casting Notes
Mostly male cast
Includes young adult, elderly, adult, mature adult characters

Synopsis

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.

Lead Characters


Travesties guide sections