Hansard, National Theatre

New and established talents combine in Hansard, a drama described as a 'witty and devastating portrait of the governing class.' Director Simon Godwin returns to the National Theatre after the success of last year's Antony & Cleopatra to stage the debut play by actor turned writer Simon Woods.

Multi-Olivier winning actors Lindsay Duncan (Private Lives, Noel Coward Theatre; That Face, Royal Court) and Alex Jennings (The Crown) lead the cast as married couple contending with an irreconcilable difference.

Taking its title form the official report of parliamentary debates, Hansard explores the overlap between personal and political. Set in a charming Cotswold home in 1988, it follows Robin and Diana Hesketh. Returning home from Westminster, Tory politician Robin finds his wife in the throes of a horrid hangover and his garden ravaged by a fox. Soon domestic bickering leads to dramatic revelations as husband and wife make marriage look like a blood-sport.

Having already won the Edgerton Foundation New Plays Award, Hansard is set to be a lively world premiere for the Lyttelton Theatre.

Public booking for Hansard at the National Theatre opens at 8:30am on Friday 3 May