Hampstead Theatre, London – until 27th July 2024
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
3***
Based on the short story Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig, Christopher Hampton’s 70 minute adaptation is more homage than faithful retelling. Hampton sets Visit from an Unknown Woman in 1934, when Austria is in the grip of rising Nazism, and the writer in the story, named Stefan by Hampton, is at odds with his place in the world. Culture is being moulded into something unfamiliar, and as Zweig himself experienced, the books are being burnt and concerts cancelled because Stefan is Jewish. Into his life tumbles a woman whom he has met at a bar. As the story unravels, we discover that she is called Marianne and is not a stranger but someone who has been present in and around his life for years. Even though he is at the centre of this tragedy, it isn’t really about Stefan, but about infatuation, and about being trapped by an obsessive love for someone who doesn’t feel the same way or even know you exist.
Natalie Simpson as Marianne is the intense beating heart of the play, and is skillful in her depiction of someone being both childlike and manipulative in their pursuit of what they want. James Corrigan as Stefan is charming and conflicted, but also mainly there to be on the receiving end of Marianne’s very intense monologue. He is all at once highly likeable and hugely unlikeable, but that is lotharios for you. Nigel Hastings as Johann as the butler/help provided some punctuation and served as a more reliable witness to the timeline of events.
The nature of the adaptation meant that all of the action could take place in one place, Stefan’s Vienna flat. Designed by Rosanna Vize, it is sparingly furnished, and the framed structure in which it sits provides a way for the cast to interact with space, memory and each other. A younger version of Marianne played by Jessie Gattward haunts the stage, wandering the corridors and rooms. She is graceful and though she never utters a word, her silent straight faced torment is unnerving and strangely beautiful. There is a huge pile of dying white roses to one side on which she sits, a reference to the anonymous bouquets sent to Stefan on his birthday every year.
Chelsea Walker’s production of Visit from an Unknown Woman is beautiful and strange, but also slightly frustrating. The cast are excellent, and the set is beautiful, however there a few loose ends. Threads that could do with being trimmed or in some cases pulled out completely.