Oxford Playhouse has announced plans to present a significant new staging of Terence Rattigan’s In Praise of Love during 2027.
The production is scheduled to run between February 13 and March 6, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the playwright’s death.
Artistic director Mike Tweddle will take charge of the direction, building on the venue’s increasingly strong profile as a creator of original theatrical work.
According to Tweddle, bringing this particular play to the stage represents a significant honour, describing it as among the most emotionally resonant and intellectually sophisticated works he has encountered.
Rattigan himself had designated it as his personal favourite among his own output, having drawn upon decades of creative experience in its composition.
Tweddle expressed enthusiasm about offering audiences what he characterised as an exceptionally layered narrative while simultaneously developing the theatre’s standing as a destination for serious dramatic work.
In Praise of Love stands as Rattigan’s penultimate drama and has seldom been performed.
The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of 1970s London, focusing on a literary critic and his spouse, who fled Estonia during the Second World War.
The couple’s marriage, which has grown stale from the outside, starts to deteriorate when an acquaintance from their past resurfaces and their offspring begins to challenge established family narratives.
This presentation follows the theatre’s 2026 mounting of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
An extensive lineup of theatrical performances, stand-up comedy, dance shows, and concerts will accompany the production, solidifying Oxford Playhouse’s position as a cultural centre serving the local community.
Rattigan ranks among the most distinguished British dramatists of the twentieth century.
His academic background included the study of history at Trinity College, Oxford, where he launched his career in writing through involvement with the Oxford University Dramatic Society.
In Praise of Love emerged during the concluding phase of his life and incorporates themes of a profoundly intimate nature.