By the time Tom Stoppard was nine years old, he had lived in four countries and survived a war. Born Tomas Straussler in Zlin, Czechoslovakia, in 1937, he and his family moved to Singapore in 1939 to escape the Nazis. When a Japanese invasion was imminent, in 1941, he and his mother fled to Darjeeling, India. His father remained in Singapore and died in the invasion. His mother married Kenneth Stoppard, an English soldier, in 1946 and the family moved to England.
A mix of comedy, drama, political argument and convoluted word plays, Stoppard's "Rock 'n' Roll" had its St. Louis premiere last night as a St. Louis Actors Studio production at the Missouri History Museum, where it will run through Nov. 21.
"Rock 'n' Roll," a rare look by Stoppard at his birth country, with a background of the Prague spring of 1968 and the formation of a Czech band, the Plastic People of the Universe, spans the 1968-90 period and is set in Cambrdge and Prague, with panels alongside the stage identifying the place and the year while music from the year is playing. It's part of Patrick Huber's set and light design, teamed with Robin Weatherall's fine sound design. Huber's set must place us in both Prague and Cambridge, and while some of the scene changes are a little long, it's probably the best that can be done on the limited stage at the History Museum.
Stoppard's plays are not easy to follow, and director Milton Zoth's pacing took some time to get rolling, leaving some confusion, especially in the first act, as we straighten out the various characters. Besides politics, communism and academia, this also is a love story, and a tale of patience and persistence in the face of adversity, so it's right that Carrie Hegdahl's powerful portrayal displays her as Eleanor, and later as her daughter, Esme.
Eleanor, battered by a series of surgeries, is betrayed by her body. Esme, having been taught that life is brief, then leaps at a romantic way out.
Jerry Vogel is outstanding as Max, Eleanor's husband and Esme's father. He's a Cambridge professor, an outspoken communist who almost voted for Margaret Thatcher, and he's the actor that gets Stoppard's best lines. "In an alternative society," he proclaims, "success is failure," and in a reminiscent mood, he notes, "I was embarrassed by the 60's. It was like opening the wrong door in a highly specialized brothel."
Interestingly, the play also serves as a tribute to its music and to Syd Barrett, who wrote and sang with Pink Floyd. A charming opening scene has Ben Ritchie playing pipes to Rachel Fenton as a young Esme, leading her into the land of musical fantasy. There's also good work from Michael B. Perkins as a reporter and Emily Baker as another student.
Charlie Barron also is excellent as Jan, a Czech scholarship student at Cambridge, and a student and devil's advocate to Max. Jan is fired up by rock and roll music, and by the quiet revolution of the Prague spring of 1968. But he is betrayed by his friend, Ferdinand (Chris Jones), and jailed by a repressive regime. Like all of Stoppard's plays, "Rock 'n' Roll" involves long conversations, but all of Stoppard's plays are as interesting as they are intricate. He's a master of the English language, and a delight to hear.
Rock 'n' Roll, a production of the St. Louis Actors Theatre, is at the Missouri History Museum through Nov. 21
—Joe