Tom Stoppard (#186) - January, 2008

Multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Sir Tom Stoppard (for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Travesties, The Real Thing and the Coast of Utopia) talks about his latest work to appear on Broadway, Rock 'n' Roll, including why he feels the play's love story, not its intellectual themes, ultimately drove the shape of the story and whether there's truth to the rumor that he wanted to cut the play but was persuaded not to by director Trevor Nunn; recounts the development of his epic The Coast Of Utopia and the extraordinary experience of seeing the trilogy performed in Russia; considers whether there's any thematic link between Utopia and Rock 'n' Roll, as bookends to the rise and fall of communism; recalls his overnight success (after seven years of writing) with Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead; reveals the play of his that he feels has perhaps not gotten its due before audiences; speaks out about those who claim viewers need to read up before seeing a Stoppard play; muses on the differences between theatre programs in the U.S. and Britain; and shares what rock and roll album is tops on his personal playlist right now.