The Breath of Life, Program Notes

Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.

— Gaugin

Playwright David Hare places Gaugin’s epithet on the title page of The Breath of Life, a serious comedy, or morality tale perhaps, of two women in their 60s, whose lives are interwoven in ways neither of them understands. Hare writes: “You can no longer call it middle age, and you certainly can’t call it old age. It’s something in between...I wanted to describe two women at exactly that moment; a long past behind them, but the expectation of a considerable future in front of them.

”I was fortunate enough to see the original production of The Breath of Life on a trip to London in December 2002. It had opened that year at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on October 4th, with Dame Maggie Smith as Madeline and Dame Judi Dench as Frances, and was of course, completely sold out. Jet-lagged, my first morning in London, I trekked to the box office and as often happens when one “goes to the source”, the theatre gods smiled, and I snagged a returned ticket for the next night. Seated beside me at the performance was a Dame-ophile in a rapture of expectation. He had wisely ordered his ticket months before, and detailed to me how he had chosen the exact best seat for this starry event – we had the two center seats in the front row of the mezzanine. He then asked when and how, as a Yank, I’d gotten my ticket – and I’m afraid his glow was somewhat damaged by my response. The play proved much more than a star vehicle. The performances were extremely skilled, funny and moving, of course – my neighbor was stunned almost into silence at intermission. But the profound questions the play raised, in its quietly illuminating way, lingered with me through all the other plays I saw on that trip: the layered meanings of betrayal; how well do we really know ourselves or others? – and most especially – are we forever defined by our past, or can we face up to it, and break free from it? Perhaps regain the breath of life?

We’ve been trying to include the play in our season each summer since that trip to London, but the American rights have been held up in hopes of a Broadway production. Word was Judi Dench did not want to do another play in New York, and Maggie Smith did not want to do this play without her. Other actors were mentioned and announced for possible productions, but none materialized. Finally this winter the theatre gods smiled once again, and the performance rights were granted to the Players. David Hare has been described by The Times as “Britain’s leading contemporary playwright” and by the New York Post as “one of the few major playwrights in our language.” It is with great pleasure and excitement that we present here in Peterborough, what we believe to be, the American premiere of The Breath of Life.

Evenings at the theatre do not come much richer, wiser or neater than The Breath of Life. 

—BBC