Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'N' Roll"
In New England Premiere
At The Huntington

The New England premiere of Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” directed by leading Stoppard interpreter Carey Perloff, is set for November 7 – December 7 at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston.

A co-production with American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco (where Perloff is artistic director), this production is the first since the play’s successful runs in London and on Broadway, where it was nominated for a Tony Award.

“Rock ‘n’ Roll” blends Stoppard’s signature use of language with the raw energy of rock music to become his most personal work to date. This marks the Huntington's 8th production of a Stoppard piece.

Based on actual events, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a tale of Prague’s inspiring political and rock revolution. It follows the passions and politics of Max, a Marxist professor in Cambridge, and Jan, his Rolling Stones-obsessed protégé, fighting for freedom in Soviet-dominated Prague. Stoppard’s sweeping drama spans two countries, three generations, and 22 turbulent years, exploring the unique intersection of politics and art.

The story begins in 1968, with America embroiled in a violent struggle for civil rights, a presidential election, and an unpopular war. Meanwhile, Czechoslovakian Secretary of the Communist Party Alexander Dubcek ushers in “Prague Spring,” an all-too-brief period of liberalization and reform of Czech society. When music group The Velvet Underground and other subversives begin to threaten Communist authority, the Soviets swiftly overturn Dubcek’s reforms and imprison many artists and intellectuals. Jan’s passion for democracy and music continues until 1990 when Prague’s Velvet Revolution overthrows the Communist government.

Born to a Jewish family in Zlín, Czechoslovakia, Stoppard fled his homeland in 1939 with his family. At the age of six, after the death of his father, he moved to England when his mother married an English colonel.

“This play was clearly inspired by Stoppard's own childhood,” Perloff commented. “What would have happened if, after the war, instead of staying in England and being raised there as an English schoolboy, he had gone back to Prague? But of course, the play is also much more than that. Stoppard also asks ‘What is our relationship as individual people to these enormous shifts in history?’ ‘Where do artists change the direction of history?’”

An enthusiast of rock-and-roll music, Stoppard has woven throughout the play a formidable collection of tunes that have not only defined American culture, but have also inspired the significant cultural, political and social changes that reshaped many ex-Communist countries, including Czechoslovakia.

According to Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois, “‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is one of Tom Stoppard's most profound dramatic achievements. It vibrates with beautiful fragile emotion, and has an intoxicating intellectual richness. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a real feast for actors, and the music sends a jolt of energy through the play - the energy of revolution, both personal and political.”

Stoppard is a four-time Tony Award-winner for Best New Play for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” “Travesties,” “The Real Thing,” and “The Coast of Utopia. ” He is also the recipient of the Olivier Award for Best New Play for “Arcadia,” and the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “Shakespeare in Love."

Carey Perloff is in her 17th season as artistic director of San Francisco’s A.C.T. and a long-time collaborator of Stoppard’s. For A.C.T., she has directed the West Coast premiere of “Rock ’n’ Roll,” the American premieres of “The Invention of Love” and “Indian Ink,” and acclaimed productions of “Travesties,” “The Real Thing,” “Night and Day,” and “Arcadia.” Her 2000 production of “Mary Stuart” for the Huntington was honored with the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production.

The principle actors from the acclaimed San Francisco cast will be appearing in the Huntington production. They include: Tony Award–nominated actor and musician Manoel Felciano (Tobias in the 2006 Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd”) as Jan, the rock-and-roll–obsessed Czech graduate student at the center of the play; A.C.T. core acting company members René Augesen (“Mary Stuart” at the Huntington, “Spinning into Butter” at Lincoln Center Theater, “Macbeth” with Alec Baldwin and Angela Bassett at The Public Theater/NYSF) as Eleanor/Esme; Jud Williford (“’Tis Pity She’s a Whore,” “Curse of the Starving Class” directed by Peter DuBois, “The Government Inspector,” and more at A.C.T.) as Ferdinand; and Jack Willis (“Julius Caesar,” “The Crucible,” “Art,” and “The Old Neighborhood” on Broadway; “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”) Off Broadway) as Max.

The cast also includes Bree Elrod, Rod Gnapp, Drew Hirshfield, Delia MacDougall , Robert Parsons, Marcia Pizzo, and Summer Serafin.

For information and tickets, call 617 266-0800 or visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.

-- OnStage Boston