The Real Thing

The Real Thing is Tom Stoppard's 1982 comedy about love, deception, and what it means to want something real. Charlie, Vicky, and Rick have been best friends for years — a playwright couple and their close friend who share everything except the truth of how they feel about each other.

Each has spent decades hiding a secret: Charlie is in love with Rick; Vicky with Rick; Rick with both of them. When the trio gathers to discuss a new play, their carefully constructed lies begin to unravel in a whirlwind of wit and farce.

Stoppard uses rapid-fire dialogue and intellectual wordplay to expose the gap between what people say they want and what they actually desire.