Tom Stoppard: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Summary

The collected BBC radio productions of the internationally renowned playwright Tom Stoppard

One of the giants of British theatre, Sir Tom Stoppard has been writing for the stage and screen for over 50 years. Full of wit, verbal brilliance and big ideas, his plays appeal to critics and audiences alike and are among the most studied works of the last century.

Our collection contains the masterpiece, Arcadia, which won him an Olivier Award for Best Play and transferred to radio with the cast of the award-winning National Theatre production. It is followed by two of his most famous and best-loved dramas: the hilarious spoof whodunnit The Real Inspector Hound and the play that made Stoppard's name, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Also included is the bittersweet drama Dalliance, based on Arthur Schnitzler's play Liebelei.

The troubled history of Stoppard's home country, Czechoslovakia, is explored in two thought-provoking plays. Rock 'n' Roll, about love, loyalty, compromise and music, was specially adapted for radio by Stoppard himself, with a new final scene and a soundtrack featuring artists such as, U2, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground. Its themes of resistance to totalitarianism are echoed in Professional Foul, dramatised by Stoppard from his award-winning BBC TV play and set in communist Prague.

Stoppard also wrote numerous original radio plays, eight of which are featured here including; The Prix Italia-winning Albert's Bridge; In the Native State (later adapted as the stage play Indian Ink) and Darkside, based on the themes of Pink Floyd's classic album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Among the multitude of stars in these dazzling dramas are Hugh Grant, Rufus Sewell, Bill Nighy, Felicity Kendal, Harriet Walter, Amaka Okafor, Emma Fielding, Bill Paterson, John Hurt, Bertie Carvel, Toby Jones, Penelope Keith, John Le Mesurier, Penny Downie, Anna Massey, Ron Cook, Ronny Jhutti, Mathew Baynton, Peggy Ashcroft and Timothy West.

Production credits
Written by Tom Stoppard
Text copyright 1964 (The Dissolution of Dominic Boot; M is for Moon Among Other Things), 1966 (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; If You're Glad, I'll Be Frank), 1967 (Albert's Bridge), 1968 (The Real Inspector Hound), 1970 (Where Are They Now?), 1977 (Professional Foul), 1982 (The Dog It Was That Died), 1986 (Dalliance), 1991 (In the Native State), 1993 (Arcadia), 2006 (Rock 'n' Roll), 2013 (Darkside)
All rights reserved

Arcadia
Directed by David Benedictus
Original music composed by Jeremy Sands

The Real Inspector Hound
Directed by Gordon House

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Directed by Emma Harding
Music arranged and performed by Clare Salaman, Philip Hopkins and Amelia Shakespeare from The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments

Albert's Bridge
Produced and directed by Charles Lefeaux

Where Are They Now?
Produced by John Tydeman

If You're Glad, I'll Be Frank
Produced by John Tydeman

The Dissolution of Dominic Boot
Directed by Glyn Dearman

The Dog It Was That Died
Produced by John Tydeman

Rock 'n' Roll
Directed by Alison Hindell

Darkside
Produced by James Robinson


Professional Foul
Directed by Gordon House

Dalliance
Directed by Jeremy Howe
Based on a play by Arthur Schnitzler
Piano played by Steve Edis

M is for Moon Among Other Things
Directed by Paul Schlesinger

In the Native State
Produced by John Tydeman
Excerpt from Up the Country by Emily Eden read by Auriol Smith