The Information on: Tom Stoppard's `Jumpers'

What Is It?

Bill Alexander's enterprising, if misguided, revival of Tom Stoppard's 1972 murder-mystery farce fails to do justice to the play's spry mental gymnastics. Worth seeing if only to observe how far Stoppard has come (with Arcadia for example) since his early work.

Who's In It?

Malcolm Tierney is found wanting in the central role of George, the unfashionable Professor of Moral Philosophy who is vainly trying to compose his contribution to a forthcoming debate on the question, "Man: Good, Bad or Indifferent?". Samantha Spiro, however, is excellent as Dottie, his musical comedy star wife.

What They Say About It

"A production which, in terms of dramatic vigour, can barely manage a basic forward-roll, let alone the demands of a gravity-defying somersault," Paul Taylor, The Independent.

"Bill Alexander's wearisome revival makes one think that this play has been rightly left to gather dust," Kate Bassett, The Daily Telegraph.

"If Stoppard were seeking to expose the moral emptiness of modern life, this production only reveals the hollowness of his intellectual design," Robert Hewison, Sunday Times.

Where You Can See It

Jumpers is at Birmingham Rep Theatre (0121-236 4455) to Sat