The Breath of Life by David Hare

“Confronting the past can be painful.

Better to let sleeping dogs lie?”When a woman knocks on your door to confront you about your long term affair with her husband, how do you react? With apology, anger, fear, hostility, or amusement? It is probably a mixture of all these and more.

And the aggrieved wife — what is she trying to achieve? Is it understanding, an apology, or revenge?Set in a flat in Ventnor, the story unfolds over an afternoon, evening, night, and the following morning, as these two mature women play a tense game of cat and mouse.

They circle each other like prize fighters, each trying to land the first blow without being hurt themselves.“The Breath of Life” by David Hare — originally performed by Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith — showcases one of our finest playwrights at work.

Hare blends moments of comedy with dark soul searching effortlessly; a master at work.Is this the end, or a beginning?