Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s 1956 tragicomedy The Visit or The Old Lady Comes To Call has been given a refresh in this brand new adaptation by Tony Kushner, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels In America.

Transported into mid-20th-century America, Jeremy Herrin (This House) directs Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread, Long Day’s Journey Into Night) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) as former lovers in this visionary revenge play.

In the town of Slurry, New York, post-war recession has bitten.

Claire Zachanassian, improbably beautiful and impenetrably terrifying, returns to her hometown as the world’s richest woman.

The locals hope her arrival signals a change in their fortunes, but they soon realise that prosperity will only come at a terrible price.

Jeremy Herrin directs this production. Jeremy is the Artistic Director of Headlong, and co-chair of Stage Directors UK. For The National alone, he’s directed Common (co-production with Headlong), The Plough And The Stars, People, Places And Things (co-production with Headlong), This House, Statement Of Regret.

Keep your eyes peeled for talks and events around the production, as The National are putting on talks from cast and creatives from the show, as well as educational talks about its historical setting.