Harper Regan

Harper Regan suddenly walks away from her husband, her daughter and her job to go and see her dying father, a journey of disconnection and realism.

When she finds out her father has gone into a hypoglycaemic coma, Harper’s odd boss won’t give her the time off. So she leaves her home in peripheral Uxbridge for Stockport to see her father, then travels on to Manchester to see her mother, and to confront the toxic secret in the middle of her marriage. The narrative is episodic, as Harper meets several men – by a canal, in a pub, in a hotel room by arrangement. It is an odyssey that strains towards knowledge but finds acceptance is more important, and acknowledges the dark and secret heart of family life.

Harper Regan is a close and affecting play, an examination of the moralities of sex and death. It was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in 2008.