‘The Real Thing’ by the legendary Tom Stoppard may now be forty years old but it’s still a true masterpiece. Stoppard’s unique genius of combining emotion and wit through comedy and love dazzles in Max Webster’s new production at London’s famous Old Vic.

It’s a play within a play type where in the opening scene we discover actor Max (Oliver Johnstone) playing a role opposite Charlotte (Susan Wokoma) which is written by her husband Henry (James McArdle), where Max confronts his fictional wife Charlotte about having an affair. The longer we watch, the deeper we delve into their lives and the parallel worlds between real and fiction come to light. It turns out Henry is having an actual affair with Annie (Bel Powley), who is Max’s wife. Too confusing? Possibly on paper, but that’s the joy here of watching the piece unfold. It really is Stoppard at his best and the writing is still the real winner.

Unfortunately, not all of the cast shine but Bel Powley does give a natural and considered performance as Annie with a glowing stage presence. However, it’s James McArdle who is the stand out cast member here. Henry is the closest we have to a central character and McArdle really becomes the driving force of the play. His dialogue delivered truthfully and instinctively, with wonderful moments of comedy too. A joy to watch.

Max Webster directs a slick, fast-paced production and uses the glorious language beautifully to portray moments jumping from pure tension to genuine humour in an instant. It’s a visually outstanding piece too with the seamless transitions of scenes involving stage crew (actually the understudies) dressed in blacks, wearing cordless headphones changing the set whilst dancing or interacting with the cast and audience. This delightfully emphasises the continual blurred lines between performance and real life. The use of a swinging light bulb at the end of the first act is one of the most captivating yet basic tools I’ve seen and a dance sequence opening the second act to ‘Mr Blue Sky’ was also a highlight. A shame that sometimes these scene changes were better than the actual scenes themselves.

Peter McKintosh’s ingenious Set Design ensures a smooth and polished production and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite’s Sound Design punctuates the piece with the constant use of a real record player blaring out hits of the time such as ‘Da Do Ron Ron’ and ‘Oh! Carol’.

It’s a compelling night at the theatre and this spirited revival of Stoppard’s timeless classic is a real good thing.

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