interrupted by a bad storm and a lifeboat drill which everyone, Dvornichek included, takes to be a real shipwreck. During this, Adam throws himself overboard and is rescued by Dvornichek. Eventually, Adam is convinced that the whole thing was a rehearsal, reconciled with Natasha, who proposes to him, and cured of his speech impediment. The old play, which Turai realises is awful, is abandoned and replaced with a new play inspired by a script written by the (unseen) ship's captain and summarised by Dvornichek. Natasha and Adam are to star, Ivor is relegated to a silent supporting role, and the multi-talented Dvornichek takes over at the piano. Production history Rough Crossing opened at the Lyttelton Theatre in London on 30 October 1984 with the following cast: Michael Kitchen as Dvornichek John Standing as Turai Andrew C. Wadsworth as Adam Niall Buggy as Gal Sheila Gish as Natasha Robin Bailey as Ivor It was directed by Peter Wood and designed by Carl Toms. Rough Crossing made its New York debut with the Jean Cocteau Repertory Company in 1997, starring Craig Smith as Turai, Harris Berlinsky as Gal, Tim Deak as Adam, Elise Stone as Natasha, Charles Parnell as Ivor and Christopher Black as Dvornichek. Critical reception Alvin Klein of the New York Times gave a 1994 production of the show a favourable review, but noted "there's not all that much dazzle in Mr. Stoppard's razzle; the pizazz is in the production." CurtainUp reviewer Les Gutman calls the play "not terribly interesting", citing in particular a fundamental incompatibility between the source material's comedy and Stoppard's absurdist style. References 1985 plays Plays by Tom Stoppard Plays based on other plays