Vienna in 1900 was the most vibrant city in Europe, humming with artistic and intellectual excitement and a genius for enjoying life. A tenth of the population were Jews. A generation earlier they had been granted full civil rights by the Emperor, Franz Josef. Consequently, hundreds of thousands fled from the Pale and the pogroms in the East and many found sanctuary in the crowded tenements of the old Jewish quarter, Leopoldstadt. Tom Stoppard's passionate drama of love and endurance begins in the last days of 1899 and follows one extended family deep into the heart of the 20th Century.
But 'Leopoldstadt' is not quite as tightly constructed as 'Arcadia,' say, or 'Jumpers' or 'Travesties'; it has too many themes to wrangle, and some dense historical exposition is unconvincingly disguised as small talk. As such, the play leans more than usual on a handsome, foreboding, smartly calibrated production. The acting is excellent across the board, with too many standouts to name. The director Patrick Marber's deep-focus staging keeps all the stories going at once on a set by Richard Hudson that fairly gleams with honeyed smugness under Neil Austin's lights. And Brigitte Reiffenstuel's costumes make you long for the elegance of prewar fashions until you are brought up short by remembering what happened to those who wore them.
Director Patrick Marber - a reliable Stoppard collaborator these years - works wonders with his 30-plus cast members (some original London cast players, some new to the piece) as he does with costumer Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting designer Neal Austin, sound and clever original music designer Adam Cork, projection designer Isaac Madge, and certainly the Campbell Young Associates wig, hair and makeup designers.
Price: $25
How: Available on the day of the performance.
Where: Longacre Theatre box office
Time: 10 AM Monday-Saturday, 12 PM Sunday
ID: valid student ID required
Payment Method: Cash or credit card
Tickets Per Person: Limit 2
Seat Locations: Determined at the discretion of the box office
Number of Tickets Available: Subject to daily availability.
Price: $47
Where: https://leopoldstadtlotteryandrush.com/
When: Select the number of tickets you want to purchase and click the "Enter" button. Available performances are typically posted as early as 12:00 AM Eastern Time the day before the performance. Lotteries close at 3:00 PM the day before the performance. Additional drawings may be added from time to time and the timing of these drawings may vary.
Winners will have six hours to complete their purchase on this website for regularly scheduled drawings. Click through the Results page of this website or your email notification or your text notification for instructions. The purchase period may vary for additional drawings. Tickets will be emailed.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Seats may be located in any section of the theater. While every effort will be made to seat pairs together with a full view, there is a chance that pairs may be split up and that your seat may have a partial view of the stage.
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