Hampstead Theatre presents the world premiere of Nicholas Wright?s The Slaves of Solitude directed by Jonathan Kent. Adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s much-loved story, this new play weaves a fascinating blend of dark hilarity and melancholy in a story about an improbable heroine in wartime Britain.
1943, Henley-on-Thames. Miss Roach (Fenella Woolgar) is forced by the war to flee London for the Rosamund Tea Rooms boarding house, which is as grey and lonely as its residents. From the safety of these new quarters, her war now consists of a thousand petty humiliations, of which the most burdensome is sharing her daily life with the unbearable Mr. Thwaites.
But a breath of fresh air arrives in the form of a handsome American Lieutenant and things start to look distinctly brighter… Until, that is, a seeming friend moves into the room adjacent to Miss Roach?s, upsetting the precariously balanced ecosystem of the house.