''Hansard'' is a play by

Simon Woods Simon Woods (born 7 January 1980) is an English actor and playwright best known for his role as Octavian in Season 2 of the British-American television series ''Rome'' and the 2005 '' Pride & Prejudice'' as Charles Bingley. Personal life Woods ...

. The play focuses on fictional

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

politician Robin Hesketh and his wife, Diana. The title comes from the word

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official print ...

, the traditional name of the transcripts of Parliamentary debates in Britain and many

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

countries.

Productions

''Hansard'' had its opening night at the National Theatre on 3 September 2019, following previews from 22 August. It played a limited run to 25 November 2019. The

two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as ...

featured

Alex Jennings Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning for ...

as Robin Hesketh and

Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for ''Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays by H ...

as Diana Hesketh. The production was directed by

Simon Godwin Simon Godwin is an English theatre director based in Washington, DC, where he is currently serving as artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Previously he was based in London, serving as associate director of London's Royal National ...

. ''Hansard'' was broadcast as part of

National Theatre Live National Theatre Live is an initiative operated by the Royal National Theatre in London, which broadcasts live via satellite, performances of their productions (and from other theatres) to cinemas and arts centres around the world. About I grew ...

on 7 November 2019.

Critical reception

The play received mixed reviews. In a 3 star review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Michael Billington likened the piece to a Cotswold '' Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' In a 3 star review for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', Sarah Hemming states "It’s obliquely timely, then, often waspishly funny, ultimately very moving and beautifully delivered by the superb Alex Jennings and Lindsay Duncan. Yet there’s also something oddly unsatisfying about it"{{Cite news , date=2019-09-05 , title=Hansard explores privilege, power and pain at the National Theatre, London , work=Financial Times , url=https://www.ft.com/content/ef98427e-cfbf-11e9-b018-ca4456540ea6 , access-date=2022-08-28, url-access=subscription

References

2019 plays English political plays