STAGE

Tony Award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard’s new comedy “Rough Crossing” has its North American premiere tonight at, of all places, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery. Why did the internationally acclaimed British playwright choose to give America its first glimpse of his play at a regional theater? Simple, said Stoppard: “They asked.” The play runs through March 28. Andre Previn wrote music for the comedy, which premiered at the National Theatre in London in late 1984 to poor reviews.