Travesties

Tom Hollander delights audiences in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties at the Apollo Theatre

Travesties, directed by Patrick Marber, follows the memories and adventures of real-life English diplomatHenry Carr (played by Hollander) in Switzerland during the First World War.

During this time, Carr met James Joyce when he was writing Ulysses, Tristan Tzara during the rise of Dada, and Lenin leading up to the Russian Revolution, as all were living in Zürich.

Carr’s memories are recounted through a production of Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest in which he had a starring role.

Stoppard uses this production and Carr’s mixed feelings surrounding it as a framework to explore art, the war and revolution.