For the first time, this play - first performed in 2012 at the National Theatre - is published in the Methuen Drama Student Edition series. It features commentary & notes by Nicholas Holden, Lecturer in Drama at the University of Greenwich, UK, that help the student unpack the play's social, political and cultural context, as well as its themes, language, structure and production history.
In tough times, the British do what we have always done. We muddle through.
This House is a razor-sharp political comedy exploring Westminster and the 1974 British hung parliament, which provides a timely historical correlative to the current political climate.
It's the play that secured the then-30-year-old James Graham's reputation as one of the UK's most important and revered dramatists, gaining critical acclaim, enjoying a sell-out run at the National Theatre's Olivier in 2013 and being revived in the West End in 2017, when it was Olivier-nominated.
With well-paced, witty and waspish dialogue, it explores the childish digs and chauvinistic attitudes that have riddled political life both then and continue to do so now.
The [play] has scope for exciting multi-role performance as well as a wealth of socio-political research to be uncovered. I think ... that it is also likely to become one of those plays which grows in stature over time ... A study guide is something that I would wholeheartedly recommend ... I could see it becoming a perennial mainstay of Drama teachers, and this edition would go a long way to helping cement that reputation.
