'Travesties' Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zurich

The events of 'Travesties' are set in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I. As a neutral city, Zurich attracted many notable figures, making it a hub of cultural, artistic, and political activity.

Zurich's unique position as a wartime sanctuary allowed Stoppard to populate the play with three of these real-life figures, all in Zurich at the same time, whose paths might plausibly cross. The city's cafés and salons become arenas for intellectual sparring, absurd encounters, and philosophical musings, giving the play a vibrant, unpredictable energy.

Answer: His attempt to assert control over memory and narrative

For Henry Carr, the narrator, the hat symbolises a connection to memory, identity, and the creative chaos he experiences. The hat is linked to the playful, theatrical moments in the play, especially when it's used in magic tricks or word games, embodying his blending of reality and imagination.

It also represents the role he tries to play in shaping the narrative and his own self-importance, as he sometimes uses it to assert control over the story he recalls. Through the hat, his tension between order and disorder, fact and fiction, is symbolised, reflecting his unreliable narration and his struggle to make sense of history and art.

Answer: Henry Carr

An older man named Henry Carr, a British consular official, who spent time in Zurich, Switzerland, during the First World War, narrates the story. His memories are often confused, exaggerated, or humorous, which makes him an unreliable guide to events.

His recollections are riddled with contradictions and embellishments, inviting the audience to question what's real and what's theatrical invention. This unreliable narration becomes a device through which memory itself is dissected and dramatised.

Answer: James Joyce

In the play, James Joyce is directing 'The Importance of Being Earnest' while living in Zurich. Joyce actually was involved with a Zurich group that put on the play, with the real Henry Carr as Algernon. Stoppard mixes historical fact with fiction, using Joyce's presence to create humorous and inventive situations.

This setup allows the play to explore literature, art, and memory playfully. Joyce's interactions with other characters generate clever wordplay and comic tension, highlighting the clash of personalities and ideas.

Answer: Tristan Tzara

Tristan Tzara, the avant-garde founder of Dadaism, appears in the play as a provocateur of unconventional ideas and chaotic energy. His real-life reputation for challenging artistic norms inspires humorous situations onstage.

Tzara's antics highlight the tension between traditional art, politics, and rebellion and inject the play with a jolt of anarchic spirit, challenging conventional logic and artistic norms. His provocations serve as a counterpoint to the more structured ideologies of the other characters, amplifying the play's thematic tension.

Answer: Vladimir Lenin

Lenin, living in Zurich during World War I, appears as a serious revolutionary figure involved in political debates and planning. His interactions with other characters, like Joyce and Tzara, create a striking contrast between political seriousness and playful humour.

The inclusion of Lenin grounds the play in political urgency, contrasting sharply with the whimsical tone of the artistic debates. His scenes underscore the stakes of revolution, reminding us that history isn't just shaped by ideas, but by action.

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Stoppard draws on Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest', borrowing its structure, wit, and themes of mistaken identity. By echoing Wilde, 'Travesties' combines Victorian elegance with modern historical satire.

It adds a layer of humour and sophistication that rewards audiences familiar with Wilde's work and creates a theatrical echo chamber where satire reverberates across eras. The borrowed elegance becomes a scaffold for modern absurdity.

Answer: A disagreement about trousers

The real-life dispute that inspired 'Travesties' involved a quarrel over trousers between Henry Carr and James Joyce. Carr had acted as Algernon in a local production of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest', for which James Joyce was the business manager. Carr bought a pair of trousers for the part and later demanded payment from Joyce, leading to a legal dispute and personal animosity between them

Stoppard didn't know the full details of the trousers dispute when he wrote the play. He based it on a brief mention found in Richard Ellman's biography of James Joyce, which noted that Carr had litigated against Joyce over the cost of a pair of trousers purchased for a production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in Zurich. He took this minor historical incident as a creative launching point and invented the larger story and the characters' interactions.

Answer: Pastiche

'Travesties' relies heavily on pastiche, blending different literary styles, historical events, and storytelling forms. This technique mirrors Carr's unreliable memory, creating a narrative that is unpredictable, witty, and entertaining. The play mixes real figures, literary works, and imagination to keep the audience guessing.

The play's collage-like structure mimics the fragmented nature of memory, weaving together disparate genres and voices. This stylistic mash-up keeps the audience off-balance, reflecting the slipperiness of truth and the joy of theatrical experimentation.

Answer: The nature of art and revolution

The play explores the power of art and revolution, showing how writers, artists, and political figures clash with the world around them. Through characters like Joyce, Tzara, and Lenin, Stoppard examines creativity, rebellion, and the shaping of history.

Carr's flawed memories further emphasise how storytelling and memory affect our understanding of the past, combining humour with serious ideas. Stoppard doesn't just juxtapose art and politics. He entangles them, showing how each can distort, elevate, or undermine the other. Through Carr's hazy lens, we see how personal bias and cultural myth-making shape our understanding of history.