Rock 'n' Roll
Tickets from $76 Buy Tickets
Cititour.com Review
According to the playwright, Tom Stoppard, his new play, Rock 'n' Roll, newly imported from England, is "partly about Communism, partly about consciousness, slightly about Sappho, and mainly about Czechoslovakia between 1968 and 1990."
If it sounds intimidating, well, it can be, but in addition to the political intrigue and the philosophical debate there lies the gentle heart of one of its main characters, Jan. And ultimately, it's a play about humanity. Rufus Sewell (winner of the Olivier Award) plays Jan, a sweet-natured émigré to Cambridge who finds his intellectual sparring partner in Max (Brian Cox). Max is a staunch Communist living in a democratic England, and the two strike up a friendship until Jan returns, ever hopeful, to Czechoslovakia.
The character wishes only to live quietly with his massive collection of LPs, but when his newly discovered rock group is marked as subversive, his only act of rebellion is rewarded with a prison sentence.
Sewell is the epitome of earnestness with his soft-spoken delivery — until pushed. His subtle reactions color Jan with a performance that is meticulous in its naturalness. Not a moment is overdone. Brian Cox, ever the consummate professional, gives Max, with his unrelenting dogma, an unwavering righteousness with enough passion to become a combustive force. The supporting cast is equally proficient including a magnificent Sinead Cusack in a dual roles as Max's wife and, later, their adult daughter.
Director Trevor Nunn gives Stoppard's play the weight it deserves without ever getting bogged down by a text rich in semantics. Robert Jones' turntable set supports the concept of a world spinning out of control. Music from the Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd punctuates the sequences.
It's easy to get caught up in the arguments here about utopian societies and the true meaning of democracy vs. complacency. Perhaps with all the hoopla, when you get right down to it, Rock 'n' Roll is a play about intellectual love. Love of freedom, love of the joy of discovery, and of course, love of rock music.
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.rocknrolltheplay.com
Cast
Brian Cox, Sinead Cusack, Rufus Sewell, Nicole Ansari, Alice Eve
Open/Close Dates
Opening 10/19/2007
Closing 3/9/2008
Box Office
(212) 239-6200
Theatre Info
Jacobs Theatre
242 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
Comments
Sign up for our newsletter !