Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

· there are only 6 actors in this play plus the orchestra (which plays an important role in the play) and a very modest scenery; there are three rooms on the stage: the cell with two beds, the office with table and two chairs and the school with a school desk; the story is placed in Russia probably in late 60’s
· in the cell there are two patients – both are named Alexander Ivanov, but to differ them one is called Alexander and the second one Ivanov; Alexander is a political prisoner, who had been prisoned, but he was released and put to a psychiatric hospital (in the prison he went on hunger strike and if he had died, it would have been an impositive sign for the other about what was going on in Russia) and Ivanov, who is a real madman (he thinks that he has an orchestra in his head)
· in the school there is Sacha (a son of Alexander) and a Teacher and in the office there is the Doctor
· the Doctor’s duty is to make Alexander admit that he is mad and what he had done or said against the regime was caused by his madness; Alexander refuses and even when his son goes to persuade him, he doesn’t give up
· at the end of the play Colonel, probably not only a doctor but also a communist of a high post, enters the cell, he mistakes Alexander for Ivanov and the result is that they both are considered healthy
· the orchestra symbolises the society, where everybody has to play strictly in a harmony, anybody can’t differ; that’s what the Teacher told Sacha, she tried to tell him that everybody who does not support the orchestra is bad; the triangle symbolises dissidents, in the orchestra it is something unharmonical and disturbing; what dominates to the orchestra is an organ, which is very strong and powerful and it represents the communist leader, maybe also Colonel in the play
· at the end all go to the orchestra and they play with other people in harmony, which is also a symbol of resignation