Czech Yourself

Comments (0) By Paul Friswold Thursday, Nov 4 2010

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Tom Stoppard's sweeping Rock 'n' Roll covers more than twenty years of repression, revolution and rock music, not necessarily in that order. Jan is a young Czechoslovakian student studying at Cambridge who returns to Prague in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's invasion of his homeland. His Cambridge mentor is Max, a hardline Marxist who refuses to see any flaws in Communism, as radical in his political ideology as Jan is noncommittal in his. For Jan, rock & roll is the ultimate expression of personal freedom — the music of the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd is the only revolution that matters. Jumping back and forth from England to Czechoslovakia over two decades of emotional and political upheaval, Rock 'n' Roll contrasts Max's unyielding belief with Jan's studied apolitical stance, all set to a soundtrack of the Stones, the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan and legendary Czech band Plastic People of the Universe. Saint Louis Actors' Studio presents Rock 'n' Roll at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday (November 11 through 21) at the Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DaBaliviere Avenue; 314-746-4599 or www.mohistory.org). Tickets are $20 to $25.
Nov. 11-14; Nov. 16-21, 2010