Sweet Nothings explores the power of sexual longing, the cruelty of tradition and the vulnerability of those in love.

A young man has an affair with a married woman. He is terrified her husband will challenge him to a duel and kill him. At a party, he flirts with a girl who believes she is truly loved. Life seems full of joy. The doorbell rings. The husband enters the room.

Distinguished European director Luc Bondy returns to the Young Vic to direct Sweet Nothings, a new version of Arthur Schnitzel’s classic play Liebelei by Laurence Olivier Award-winner David Harrower.

Sweet Nothings director Bondy staged the world premiere of Martin Crimp’s Cruel And Tender at the Young Vic in 2004.

Harrower’s plays include the Laurence Olivier Award-winning Blackbird and Knives In Hens, while his previous adaptations include The Good Soul Of Szechuan and Six Characters In Search Of An Author.

Sweet Nothings is a co-production between the Young Vic and the Vienna Festival.

For more about Sweet Nothings at the Young Vic read our First Night Feature.