Mrs Klein

Presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.

Nicholas Wright's engaging drama Mrs Klein centres on the real-life figure of Melanie Klein, one of the pioneers of child psychology in this country.

The action of the play takes place in Klein's home in London in 1934 over the course of one evening and the following day, shortly after Klein's son has been reported killed in a climbing accident.

There were no witnesses to the incident and the drama examines the effect of this devastating and unexpected tragedy on Klein, her daughter Melitta (also a psychoanalyst) and her new assistant Paula, a refugee from Hitler's Berlin.

Thought-provoking and often darkly humorous, Mrs Klein is a poignant study of parent-child relationships, the pitfalls of psychoanalysis and the constantly shifting dynamics of family life and human interaction.

The play premiered at the National Theatre in 1988 and was revived at the Almeida Theatre in London in 2009 with Clare Higgins in the title role.