After the Dance

As the world races towards catastrophe, a crowd of Mayfair socialites parties its way to oblivion. At its centre is David, who idles away his sober moments researching a futile book until the beautiful Helen decides to save him, shattering his marriage and learning too late the depth of both David's indolence and his wife's undeclared love. But with finances about to crash and humanity on the brink of global conflict, the drink keeps flowing and the revellers dance on. First seen in 1939 but then largely ignored until a 1994 BBC production, After the Dance is regarded as one of the great, lost plays of the 20th century. As interest in Rattigan has revived so too has the play's reputation and it is now considered by many to be one of the great works of a master dramatist. Both an insightful, witty critique of a generation and a profound dissection of the depths of human emotion, After the Dance will be given a major revival at London's National Theatre in the summer of 2010 as part of the ongoing celebrations of the centenary of Rattigan's birth.