Main Street Theater returns to favorite playwright Tom Stoppard (its 17th production of one of his works) with
The Real Thing, a Tony Award-winning comedy (Best Play in 1984, Best Revival in 2000) set in the late 1970s/early '80s. Directed by Rebecca Greene Udden, the play takes place in five different apartments, a theater rehearsal hall and a train over the space of 2-1/2 to three years as the main characters go in and out of relationships – but manage to hang on to some of the same furniture. ''This is all about people connecting with each other and messing with each other,'' says Shannon Emerick (
The Coast of Utopia, Richard III) who plays Annie, an actor. ''She is a free spirit but grounded in love and passion and I don't just mean romantically. She throws herself into whatever she does. Sometimes it's good; sometimes it's not.'' Joe Kirkendall (
Henry V, The Coast of Utopia) plays Henry, an accomplished screenwriter.
Stoppard is a Main Street audience favorite both for his wordplay and his ability to ground his characters, to explore their humanity, Emerick says: ''His work epitomizes what we value at Main Street Theater, it's the language and the human connection.''
7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays. Extended through October 6. Main Street Theater - Rice Village, 2540 Times Boulevard. For information, call 713-524-6706 or visit mainstreettheater.com. $20 to $36.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m.; Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Starts: Aug. 31. Continues through Oct. 6, 2013
