A heap of dead white roses sits outside a sparse apartment. Only a desk, piano and window seat adorn the space. When the moonlight bathes the room and the sun later rises, it is a clearly visible stage light that creates the illusion. There is a startling artificiality merged with the slightly surreal in Christopher Hampton’s adaptation. Following a celebrated run in Vienna, Visit From an Unknown Woman now premieres on the London stage. Stefan Zweig’s 1922 novella has been reworked with the action relocated from the 20s setting of the original to the early 30s. Hampton has also shuffled the timeline around to inject more in the way of drama – the novella is written as a letter – but there remains a curious lack of theatricality here.
When they reunite, Stefan has no recollection of sleeping with Marianne ten years prior, nor the fact that she was his neighbour as a girl. She’s been sending him white roses every year to mark his birthday, although he has no idea where they are coming from. Marianne has been silently fantasising about Stefan, endeavouring to contain her unrelenting love for him until she can no longer do so. Over the course of seventy-minutes, the truth is revealed and some shocking secrets finally come to light. Fatal Attraction or Baby Reindeer, this is not. Instead, we are presented with a quiet, brooding play that tiptoes along without ever reaching any truly dramatic heights.
One could argue it might be better suited to radio, such is its static nature and reliance on exposition. Thankfully, the performances enhance proceedings. Under the assured direction of Chelsea Walker, who was at the helm of the theatre’s downstairs success This Much I Know, Natalie Simpson is magnetic as Marianne. Her precise movements feel rehearsed, her every action orchestrated, yet when in the company of Stefan there is also an alluring unpredictability about her and the hint of something sinister and threatening residing beneath the surface. It’s a captivating turn that commands our attention as well as that of her male subject.
Simpson enjoys sizzling chemistry with James Corrigan. The actor stepped in at the eleventh hour after Thomas Levin’s unexpected withdrawal, and he has well and truly made the character his own. Learning his lines in a week and offering such a strong and engaging performance is no mean feat and he too is enjoyable to watch. Making her professional debut, Jessie Gattward graces the sides of the stage through haunting ghost-like movements as a young Marianne. It adds to the surreal quality of the play while hammering home its study of obsession and the various ways it can manifest itself.
Those familiar with the source material and with Zweig himself (this appears to be a somewhat autobiographical work), will no doubt excavate some joy from this adaptation. Others will find it a curiosity – why put this on the stage now? With an especially rich array of productions currently running in the capital, this feels very pedestrian in comparison. Well-acted and with some effective imagery, especially during the climax, this is a slow-burn that sadly never fully ignites.
Review by Jonathan Marshall
Vienna, 1934. Stefan is one of the world’s most successful authors – widely read, universally admired, and translated into every language. His is the life of a wealthy playboy, enjoying only the finest things in life – from luxurious world travel to the company of his most dazzling contemporaries in Europe’s most fashionable restaurants. Only two things cloud his prospects: the rise of the Nazi Party, and the sudden appearance of a woman who he clearly knows… but who he cannot, for the life of him, remember.
Cast: Jessie Gattward, Nigel Hastings, James Corrigan and Natalie Simpson.
Writer Christopher Hampton
Based on the short story by Stefan Zweig
Director Chelsea Walker
Designer Rosanna Vize
Lighting Designer Bethany Gupwell
Sound Designer Peter Rice
Composer Max Perryment
Movement Director Michela Meazza
Intimacy Director Lucy Fennell
Casting Director Arthur Carrington
VISIT FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN
A Hampstead Theatre UK premiere
21 June to 27 July 2024
