Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
a play for actors and orchestra
by Tom Stoppard and André Previn
Following a sell-out run in 2009, the National's electrifying production plays for a strictly limited run.
New reviews, January 2010
FIVE STARS: 'Tom Stoppard's superb black comedy... one of his greatest works.' Daily Telegraph
'Crackles with dangerous wit... Julian Bleach and Adrian Schiller are superb.' The Times
2009 reviews
FIVE STARS: 'A superb revival.' The Times
FIVE STARS: 'Dazzlingly theatrical.' Time Out
FOUR STARS: 'An all-encompassing piece of total theatre... a play that brilliantly counters Soviet iron with Stoppardian irony.' Guardian
FOUR STARS: 'Startlingly original and ambitious... memorably captures the distinctive mixture of wit, indignation and emotional depth.' Daily Telegraph
A dissident is locked up in an asylum. If he accepts that he was ill, has been treated and is now cured, he will be released. He refuses.
Sharing his cell is a real patient Ivanov, who believes himself to be surrounded by an orchestra. As the dissident’s son begs his father to free himself with a lie, Tom Stoppard’s darkly funny play asks if denying the truth is a price worth paying for liberty.
A co-production with Southbank Sinfonia – Britain’s young professional orchestra.
Tickets £10, £15, £30
Dates
Ends 17 February
41 performances only
Evening performances at 7pm & 8.45pm
Matinees at 3pm
Sundays at 2.30pm & 4.15pm
With a running time of just 65 minutes, enjoy a meal at the NT before or after the performance.
Read more
- The Times feature about the 2010 production and Southbank Sinfonia
- Watch videos about the production in Discover
- The Times interview with André Previn and Tom Stoppard
- Read about the play on Wikipedia
Please note: the video above is of the original 2009 production.
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour finished on: 17 February 2010






