Party games between a trio of young couples give way to the discovery that one of their number, Jo, is terminally ill. As two of the couples leaves, another stranger pair appears. The woman, played by Dame Maggie Smith, claims to be Jo’s mother from Dubuque, here to help her die. Yet Jo’s partner Sam knows Jo’s mother is a small, purple-haired woman from New Jersey.

Smith’s last London stage appearance also came at the Haymarket, where she starred opposite Judi Dench in The Breath Of Life. Smith won Oscars for her performances in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, and was also nominated for Gosford Park, A Room With A View, Othello and Travels With My Aunt.

Edward Albee’s other plays include Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?

For more information on this production, please read The First Night Feature.