After Magritte

"After Magritte" is a surreal comedy written by Tom Stoppard in 1970. It was first performed at the Green Banana Restaurant in London [ Stoppard Plays at http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsS/stoppard-tom.html ] .

Plot

Two ballroom dancers, a man and a woman named Reginald and Thelma Harris, are hurriedly getting ready for an event. A lampshade which had used bullets as a counterweight has broken and a woman crawls on the floor to look for them. The mother plays the tuba. A policeman watching from outside finds the activity inside suspicious and calls in his inspector. The inspector asks about the family's memories of a man they had seen outside of the Tate Museum where a René Magritte exhibit is being held. He invents an entirely false story, accusing the family of complicity in a crime known as the Crippled Minstrel Caper. As the play continues, it becomes increasingly ridiculous. For instance, the couple offers the inspector a banana as the male dancer stands on one foot. One scene is even performed in total darkness [ Absurdist Reviews at http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=4508 ] .

References