Audience Guide: Heroes - Third Avenue PlayWorks

Heroes translated by Tom Stoppard from Les Vent des Peupliers by Gérald Sibleyras

Researched and Written by Tina Kakuske

Title Trouble

Heroes was translated by Tom Stoppard from the play Le Vent des Peupliers by Gérald Sibleyras. The French title translated into English is The Wind in the Poplars which was deemed too similar to The Wind in the Willows, a classic children’s book. Thus, the title Heroes was chosen, with a comment from Stoppard saying, “To tell you the truth, if Charles Wood hadn’t written a play called Veterans [in 1972], we would have called it that.”

Gently Absurdist Comedy is a Compliment

Heroes is widely recognized as a comedy, but there is depth to be found in that label. Stoppard is considered to be a playwright well versed in absurdism, which serves him well in translating Les Vent des Peupliers. “Absurdism is a literary genre that focuses on characters that find themselves in meaningless situations and nonsense.” While classic absurdist theater can be rather pessimistic, Heroes is poignant and life-affirming, or as Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune states, “classy, touching and gently absurdist.”

Boulevard Comedy

In addition to elements of absurdism, Heroes displays characteristics of Boulevard Comedy, a French theatrical aesthetic presenting popular, accessible entertainment that appeals to a wide audience-opposite of “serious” theater. Boulevard comedy is usually faster paced, contains witty banter, and is more focused on comedic situations instead of complex characterization. Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times claims that Heroes, “moves almost imperceptibly from boulevard comedy to darker hues, and those autumnal colors can catch you unawares. Lovely.”

Improvement from Happy Collaboration

British theater critic Aleks Sierz spent time with Sibleyras and Stoppard in 2005 during a tea and cigarette break while they worked on the translation of Les Vent des Peupliers. Their collaboration seemed to be a good one as Sibleyras commented, “I was honoured but also a bit anxious when Tom agreed to translate my play because I didn’t know how he works…In the event, he asked me every time he wanted to change a line and, slowly but surely, the play improved. It’s much tighter now.”

Sibleyras claimed that his original play was too long and he was only allowed at the first reading. Stoppard added, “Together we managed to do what Gérald was prevented from doing in that production because the director and actors were very defensive about cutting any lines. This production [Heroes] gave him the chance to improve the play. I think Gérald was surprised to find that in London the author is welcome to all rehearsals.”

Tom Stoppard, Sir of the Written Word

Stoppard started his writing career as a journalist and eventually expanded into writing for radio, the theatrical stage, television, and the film industry. He wrote one novel which was not critically successful, but contained ideas used in his other writings. In addition to Heroes, Stoppard also translated other plays into English. Charles Isherwood of The Wall Street Journal stated that Stoppard “may or may not have been the greatest playwright of the past half century or so, but he was undoubtedly the most intellectually daring, historically inquisitive and encyclopedically knowledgeable,” all of which resulted in an enormous output of creative works in multiple fields of entertainment, and knighthood in 1997.

Not Heard Everyday…but Found in the Play

Biffed-strike someone roughly or sharply with the fist (Poor Sister Madeleine!)

Barking-not mentally sound (shorthand for barking mad)

Give a toss-concerned or interested, usually in the negative

Recce-The process of getting information about enemy forces or positions by sending out small groups of soldiers

Put the wind up-make someone nervous, afraid

Did You Know?

• Le Vent des Peupliers was nominated for four Molières awards in 2003 including Best Author. The Molière is equivalent to the American Tony award and the British Olivier award

• Heroes won the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy

• Heroes premiered at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre on 18 October 2005 and in the United States at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in 2007

• Lazare Ponticelli was the last surviving French World War I veteran. He was an Italian immigrant who fought for France and passed on March 12, 2008, at the age of 110

• Poplar trees symbolize old age, hope and the promise of revival, “and are said to carry the memory of people who have passed”