Tom Stoppard achieved almost overnight success in 1967 with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which was commissioned for the National Theatre at the Old Vic, following the initial run of a shorter version at the Edinburgh Festival the previous year. Since then Stoppard has written a string of successful plays in which the techniques of farce frequently sit alongside witty dialogue reminiscent of that of Oscar Wilde, whom Stoppard has made a character in two of his plays. From the outset Stoppard has displayed a fascination with the minutiae of philosophical debate. While always essentially comic, his plays increasingly consider large metaphysical issues. In addition to his work for the stage, he has made significant contributions to television, radio, and movies, as well as adapting the works of several European dramatists. Stoppard enjoys an international reputation, and a premiere of a new work by him is regarded as a...