The Philanthropist

Written in 1970, the story of The Philanthropist is a blend of comedy and pathos centring around a shy university professor's love life - or lack thereof. The Prime Minister and his cabinet have been assassinated and England's most treasured writers are being murdered one by one. Back at the university, Philip, a bachelor don anguishes over sex, marriage, anagrams and the meaning of life. His fiancee leaves him, his best friend takes the only other woman he loves and surrounded by friends, he feels more alone than ever.

Written as a response to Molière's 'The Misanthrope' and first performed at the Royal Court in 1970, this biting 'bourgeois comedy' examines the empty, insular lives of college intellectuals.