Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Tom Stoppard
Unique in its scale, this play for actors and orchestra was written in collaboration with composer André Previn. It is set in a Soviet mental hospital where a political dissident and a genuine lunatic share a cell. The twist is that the lunatic imagines he has a full orchestra at his beck and call, which the audience actually hears on stage. It is a powerful, darkly comic indictment of the Soviet practice of using psychiatry to silence political dissent, using the metaphor of musical harmony to discuss state-mandated conformity and individual freedom.
Alexander: A brave political prisoner and hunger striker who is declared insane by the state for his refusal to accept the reality of Soviet political repression. Ivanov: Alexander’s cellmate, a true lunatic who believes he is the conductor of an imaginary orchestra that follows him everywhere, providing a literal soundtrack to the play. The Doctor: A state official who views political dissent as a treatable mental illness, attempting to 'cure' Alexander by forcing him to admit his sanity is actually madness.
First Performance: 1977, at Royal Festival Hall, London
Rapturously received at its premiere; noted for its unique requirement of a live symphony orchestra on stage.
Original Actors: Ian McKellen, John Wood, Patrick Stewart