Plan B Forum

Sir Tom Stoppard, one of the UK's most celebrated playwrights, has complained that he has to dumb down his plays for modern audiences.

The writer "resents" having to "connect with an audience... on a level which is lower than you would want to connect them on".

He said: "In 1974 everybody in the audience knew who Goneril was and laughed... In about 1990 when the play was revived maybe half knew."

But how much of his plays would you be able to understand?



Not much 4/7

I got 5 right, but 4 of those were guesses. (The only one I actually knew was, of course, the Syd Barrett one...)

I think that one was a "given"!

It's not a question of being clever, it's a question of cultural literacy (and in particular, Western culture). I rather doubt that audiences in 1974 were any more savvy than they are now, but there is an entire additional generation of culture (including Tom Stoppard references) to absorb.

6/7 (although that last one was a sheer guess).

6/7

I blame my university education.

Never heard of the guy.
I am not big on plays/broadway.

I love his plays - seen several and own copies - but the man is a condescending ass. I don't need to take any quiz to tell me that.

Quizzes? We ain't got no stinkin' quizzes. We don't need no quizzes! (Cultural reference). But is an unquizzed life worth living? (another one). That is the question (#3 there). I think someone might be a little snow-crazy but she'll do fine - women have that extra layer of fat (toughest one).

I got 5 but that's only because I didn't know 2 of them. Ayckbourn wrote better plays anyway.

Guinevere wrote:I love his plays - seen several and own copies - but the man is a condescending ass. I don't need to take any quiz to tell me that.

Takes one to know one?

6/7 for what it's worth.

As for him complaining about dumbing down his plays, you can choose to either write for the audience or to please yourself and have plays that aren't seen by many. He can choose.