Based on the 1922 short story by Stefan Zweig, and written by Christopher Hampton, Visit From An Unknown Woman arrives on the London stage.
James Corrigan (taking over at short notice) has the main male role of Stefan, a writer who lives in Vienna in the mid-30s.
He’s a charismatic character, but a shadow hangs over his carefree character as he is Jewish, and the tide of Nazism is polluting his country.
Into this life comes Marianne (Natalie Simpson), a pretty and assured young woman.
They seem to have just met, but she seems to know quite a lot about him, as we begin to understand as this play unfolds.
Hampton’s play is very static in parts: the original novella was called Letter From An Unknown Woman, and that structure still shows.
Stefan’s role in one key scene is to react rather than be an active participant.
Where director Chelsea Walker has brought something startling to the piece is the mute character of the younger Marianne (Jessie Gatward).
She expresses herself through movement (directed by Michelle Meazza) and silence. She is the eyes and ears of the character’s story, and it is fascinating to observe her.
Watching her sitting on the mountain of white roses, or plucking them petal by petal, or reaching for something just out of reach adds complexity and colour to the production.
This is a difficult play. Without including spoilers, it is about obsession, memory, regret, and more.
The Hollywood film of 1948 treats the story as something of a tragic romance, a women’s weepie, but to modern eyes, it feels a bit more sinister.
Where it works well is in the chemistry between Corrigan and Simpson, who clearly feel comfortable with each other and are aided by the work of intimacy director Lucy Fennell.
At just 70 minutes, it is quietly effective and, at times, rather disturbing and unsettling.
Nigel Hastings’s butler Johann adds a knowing eye to the story as it unfolds, a steady hand on Stefan’s revolving door of female company.
I came away liking this production while realising it was trying to do something a little different with an ageing text.
Emotionally, it is too distant to be as moving as it might be, but Rosanna Vize’s stubbornly minimalist set and Peter Rice’s sound add the right tone.
I’m giving it ****.
Visit From An Unknown Woman continues at Hampstead Theatre until 27 Jul, with tickets here.
Image credit: Marc Brenner