Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard, published by Faber & Faber in 2020, is a poignant exploration of the Jewish experience in early 20th-century Vienna. This 128-page drama centers around Hermann Merz, a manufacturer and baptized Jew, who navigates the complexities of family and identity amidst the backdrop of a changing Europe. The narrative unfolds in the Merz apartment, where Hermann’s extended family gathers, reflecting on their lives as Austria faces the turmoil of war, revolution, and the Holocaust.
Readers will find a rich tapestry of personal and historical events that shape the characters’ lives, highlighting the struggles and resilience of Austrian Jews during a tumultuous period. Stoppard’s work delves into themes of memory and survival, as the survivors are left to carry forward a story that remains unfinished. This edition invites readers to engage with the intricate dynamics of family and the broader societal shifts that impact their lives, making it a significant contribution to contemporary drama.
Official synopsis Publisher
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna. But Hermann Merz, a manufacturer and baptised Jew married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. Gathered in the Merz apartment in a fashionable part of the city, Hermann’s extended family are at the heart of Tom Stoppard’s epic yet intimate drama. By the time we have taken leave of them, Austria has passed through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and – for Austrian Jews – the Holocaust in which 65,000 of them were murdered. It is for the survivors to pass on a story which hasn’t ended yet.
Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt was first performed at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, in January 2020.
WINNER: OLIVIER AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY, 2020
WINNER: TONY AWARD FOR BEST PLAY, 2023
Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play; the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play; the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production; and the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play.
‘One of Britain’s greatest living playwrights to provide his most personal play yet.’ The Times
‘The news that Tom Stoppard has written a new drama ranks as top-end seismic activity.’ Daily Telegraph
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