The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard. Short summary

5 seconds

Playwright Henry and his friend Max’s wife Annie fall in love with each other. After their divorce, they begin to live together. «Exes» constantly interfere in the lives of the spouses. But they separate the true from the reflections.

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Married to Charlotte, playwright Henry meets longtime friend Max. Both men are in their 40s. Max is also married — to Annie. Passion flares up between her and Henry. The lovers meet in secret.

Max discovers that Annie is cheating on him. She stops hiding. But it is not the betrayal that bothers Max, it is the appearance of a respectable marriage.

After a long clarification of their relationship, the spouses divorce. Henry and Annie (who looks like Charlotte when she was young) start to live together. But Max, as an old friend, often visits the newlyweds. He gets back together with Charlotte. The new couple’s «former» halves subtly poke fun at them and throw them off-balance.

Annie is seduced by young, handsome Brody. But she loves Henry and wants to remain faithful to him. She asks her husband to protect her from outside influences. When Max calls, he tells her that Annie is not at home.