Jumpers
Tom Stoppard
A surrealist farce that blends high philosophy with a murder mystery involving a team of gymnasts. The play centers on George Moore, a professor of moral philosophy, who is struggling to prove the existence of God while a murder occurs in his home. His wife, a retired musical star, is found with a dead gymnast in her bedroom, leading to a chaotic investigation. The play is a dizzying mix of intellectual debate, physical comedy, and social satire, exploring the collision between absolute morality and logical positivism in a crumbling, post-modern society.
George Moore: A bumbling, pedantic professor of moral philosophy who spends the play dictating a complex, circular lecture attempting to prove the existence of a moral God. Dorothy Moore: George’s glamorous but mentally fragile wife, a retired musical star who finds herself at the center of a murder mystery she cannot explain. Sir Archibald Jumper: A cynical, multi-talented Vice-Chancellor who embodies the ruthless pragmatism and logical positivism that George spends the entire play intellectually fighting against.
First Performance: 1972, at Old Vic Theatre, London
Critically acclaimed and a major commercial hit, establishing Stoppard's ability to combine complex philosophy with mainstream theatrical entertainment.
Original Actors: Michael Hordern, Diana Rigg