Discussion Topics: The Real Inspector Hound

It’s time for a trip to the theatre! Have you read The Real Inspector Hound? It’s a quick, light, funny read where Tom Stoppard takes aim at theatre, critics, reality, and fate. All of which we’ll be talking about in our final book club of the year.

Are you looking to view a version of the play before discussing? A fellow cannonballer (h/t crystalclear) sent this link along, saying she thought it was the best available.

Dig out your theatre best and we’ll reconvene here and over in our Facebook group on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at around 3 p.m. Eastern Standard time. If you can’t join us then, the conversation keeps going through the rest of the evening (and week) so feel free to dip back in.

A Sampling of Discussion Topics:

• The New York Times called this play “a swipe at the enemy”. How do you feel about that categorization?
• What are your expectations when you see/read a comedy? How does “Hound” satisfy them (or not)?
• How does the presence of the body define this play?
• In the introduction to my copy of the play (Tom Stoppard: Plays 1) Stoppard discusses that the plot point that made the play most worth writing was the revelation around Higgs. What is your interpretation of this artistic statement?
• How does the theme of “not seeing” relate to the work (in the setting and the dramatic action)?
• The structural frame of the play is Birdboot and Moon interjecting between scenes, as critics, Birdboot and Moon consider themselves to be outside and above the action of the play. How does their relationship with the play onstage and each other change?

I’ll see you on our dedicated post in a few days!