The Real Thing

‘There are no commitments, only bargains.’

Annie is an actress, Henry is a playwright, and fiction is the backdrop to life. Hardly a recipe for a faithful marriage, especially when it started as an affair.

But does it matter how it began if what they have is the real thing?

Diving through layers of play and performance, reality and deceit, The Real Thing is Tom Stoppard’s kaleidoscopic comedy of love, infidelity and the stories we tell. Starring James McArdle (Mare of Easttown, The Tragedy of Macbeth), Bel Powley (A Small Light, The Morning Show), Oliver Johnstone (All My Sons, Henry V) and Susan Wokoma (Cheaters, Enola Holmes 1 and 2), directed by Max Webster (Macbeth, Life of Pi).

An Old Vic production in association with Simon Friend Entertainment

James McArdle – Henry
Bel Powley – Annie
Oliver Johnstone – Max
Susan Wokoma – Charlotte
Jack Ambrose – Brodie
Daniel Baskharoun – Understudy Billy/Brodie
Peter Eastland – Understudy Henry/Max
Oyin Orija – Understudy Annie/Charlotte
Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran – Billy
Mahaila Palmer – Understudy Debbie
Karise Yansen – Debbie

Tom Stoppard – Writer
Max Webster – Director
Peter McKintosh – Set & Costume
Richard Howell – Lighting
Alexandra Faye Braithwaite – Sound
Chi-San Howard – Movement
Jessica Ronane CDG – Casting
Charlie Hughes-D’Aeth – Voice
Laura Hart – Dialect
Ingrid Mackinnon – Intimacy
Lilac Yosiphon – Baylis Assistant Director
Poppy Hall – Costume Supervisor
Hum Studio Wigs – Hair, Wigs & Make-Up
Jamie Owens – Props Supervisor

Rebecca James – Company Stage Manager
Surenee Somchit – Deputy Stage Manager
Bella Kelaidi – Assistant Stage Manager