THE STORY: Involves the confrontation of two aging writers, one a success, one not. They meet at the comfortable flat of the successful author for a nightcap, even though it is not clearly apparent that they are previously acquainted, and the failed, seedy writer is soon forced to acknowledge that he now works as an attendant in a pub. The rich author, Hirst, having drunk too much, is put to bed by the two rather sinister servant-bodyguards who attend him, and his guest, Spooner, is left alone—with the door locked. In the morning the mood changes. Spooner is served a lavish breakfast, and then a rejuvenated Hirst bursts in, greeting Spooner as though he were a dear old school chum, and the sharer of many past escapades. Spooner plays along, and there is the sudden hope that he will be able to secure their relationship to his personal benefit. But Hirst can only acknowledge the cold around him, and order the curtains drawn, before slipping irretrievably into that place which never changes—the icy, silent no man’s land where past and present merge into eternity.
This brilliant, often funny, and ultimately shattering play has been widely hailed as the author’s finest.
“…completely fascinating and absorbing.” —New York Post.
“…exhilarating theater…” —Time Magazine.
“…a major Pinter drama.” —Village Voice.
