Tom Stoppard on Marxist Philosophy, Vaclav Havel, Today's Britain [audio 30min]

Tom Stoppard has become one of the most recognisable names in world theatre, and in a rare interview for a special edition of"Front Row", he talks to Mark Lawson about his new play, Rock 'n' Roll. Stoppard was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937 but the only time he's written about it was in his 1977 television play Professional Foul. In his new play, written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Court Theatre in London, Czechoslovakia takes centre-stage. It covers the period from the Russian invasion — 1968 — to the so-called Velvet Revolution in 1990, which led to the playwright Vaclav Havel becoming the President of the Czech Republic. A rock 'n' roll band comes to symbolise resistance to the Communist regime whilst, in Cambridge, the verities of love and death are shaping the lives of three generations in the family of a Marxist philosopher. In this interview, Stoppard reflects on the reasons which have prevented him from addressing the country of his birth until now, his admiration for his contemporary fellow Czech Vaclav Havel, and his attitude to Britain today. Rock 'n' Roll runs at London's Royal Court Theatre 3 June through 15 July 2006.