''The Hothouse'' (1958/1980) is a full-length

tragicomedy Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragedy, tragic and comedy, comic forms. Most often seen in drama, dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the ov ...

written by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

in the winter of 1958 between '' The Birthday Party'' (1957) and ''

The Caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Occupations * Janitor (chiefly in the United States), a person who cleans and maintains buildings such as hospitals and schools * Property caretaker, a person who cares for a property * Caregiver or carer (UK), a person wh ...

'' (1959). After writing ''The Hothouse'' in the winter of 1958 and following the initial commercial failure of ''The Birthday Party'', Pinter put the play aside; in 1979 he re-read it and directed its first production, at

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

, where it opened on 24 April 1980, transferring to the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 June 1980, and it was first published, also in 1980, by

Eyre Methuen Methuen Publishing Ltd (; also known as Methuen Books) is an English publishing house. It was founded in 1889 by Sir Algernon Methuen (1856–1924) and began publishing in London in 1892. Initially, Methuen mainly published non-fiction acade ...

Cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...

"Death-Rattle", by Benedict Nightingale, as rpt. from the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'' (2001). The play received its American premiere at the

Trinity Repertory Company Trinity Repertory Company (commonly abbreviated as Trinity Rep) is a non-profit regional theater located at 201 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1963, the the ...

in 1982.

Pinter himself played Roote in a subsequent production staged at the Minerva Theatre, in

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

, in 1995, later transferring to the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

, in London. For a review-article about this production, see Merritt.

Setting

The play is set in an institution whose nature is subject to interpretation; throughout the play, it is ambiguously referred to as both a "rest home" and a "sanitorium" but its "residents" or "patients" are designated anonymously by numbers, not by their names.

Plot

The professionalism and even sanity of the institution's director, Roote, are undermined by his subordinates: the efficient and ambitious Gibbs, the aptly named alcoholic Lush, and Miss Cutts, Roote's calculating and shrewd mistress who is also involved with Gibbs. After the reported murder of one patient and the rape and resulting pregnancy of another, Roote orders Gibbs to find the perpetrator(s), who it appears is Roote himself, and Gibbs supplants his boss as administrator of the corrupt "rest home", whose inmates converge upon the staff, resulting in mayhem.

List of characters

*Roote, ''a man in his fifties'' *Gibbs, ''a man in his thirties'' *Lush, ''a man in his thirties'' *Miss Cutts, ''a woman in her thirties'' *Lamb, ''a man in his twenties'' *Tubb, ''a man of fifty'' *Lobb, ''a man of fifty''

Critical reception and interpretation

The play has been interpreted as a searingly comic indictment of institutional

bureaucracy Bureaucracy ( ) is a system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time). Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments ...

; its

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

and

absurdism Absurdism is the philosophical theory that the universe is irrationality, irrational and meaningless. It states that trying to find meaning leads people into conflict with a seemingly meaningless world. This conflict can be between Rationality ...

exposing hierarchical power structures anticipate Pinter's later more overtly political dramatic sketches and plays, such as " The New World Order" (1983), '' One for the Road'' (1984), and ''

Mountain Language ''Mountain Language'' is a one-act play written by Harold Pinter, first published in '' The Times Literary Supplement'' (TLS) on 7–13 October 1988. It was first performed at the Royal National Theatre in London on 20 October 1988 with Micha ...

'' (1988).

Productions

World premiere

"First presented at Hampstead Theatre, London, on 24 April 1980 and transferred to the Ambassador Theatre, London on 25 June 1980"; directed by

. Cast: *

Derek Newark Derek John Newark (8 June 1933 – 11 August 1998) was an English actor in television, film and theatre. Career Newark began his working life as a soldier in the Coldstream Guards before joining the Royal Artillery. However, he wanted to beco ...

, Roote * James Grant, Gibbs * Roger Davidson, Lamb *

Angela Pleasence Daphne Anne Angela Pleasence (born 30 September 1941) is an English actress. Trained in theatre, Pleasence's first major film role came in '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days'' (1973), followed by roles in horror films such as '' From Beyond the Grave' ...

, Miss Cutts * Robert East, Lush *

Michael Forrest Michael Forrest (July 1932 – 21 December 2004) was a Welsh television actor. He appeared in many British television series and films, which include ''Sir Francis Drake (TV series), Sir Francis Drake'', ''Z-Cars'', ''Danger Man'', ''The Saint ...

, Tubb *

Edward de Souza Edward James de Souza (born 4 September 1932) is a British character actor and graduate of RADA, who is of Portuguese-Indian and English descent. Early life De Souza is the only child of Annie Adeline Swift (née Calvert) and Edward Valentine De ...

, Lobb Other theatre personnel: *

Eileen Diss Eileen Diss, (13 May 1931 – 5 November 2024) was a British set designer for stage, television and film. She won six BAFTA awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Design from the Royal Television Society in 2002, and a BAFTA Lifetime Achievemen ...

, Set Designer *

Elizabeth Waller Elizabeth Waller (born 1943 in Cheshire, England) is a British costume designer for theatre, television and film. She began her costume career in theatre, before joining the BBC costume team, where her period costume work was acclaimed for its att ...

, Costume Designer *Gerry Jenkinson, Lighting *

Dominic Muldowney Dominic Muldowney (born 19 July 1952 in Southampton) is a British composer. Biography Dominic Muldowney studied at the University of Southampton with Jonathan Harvey, at the University of York (with Bernard Rands and David Blake), and privat ...

, Sound

American premiere

The American premiere was directed by Adrian Hall at the

for its 1981–1982 season and transferred to the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

in New York City, from 30 April through 30 May 1982, produced by

Arthur Cantor Arthur Cantor (March 12, 1920 – April 8, 2001) was an accomplished American theatrical producer who contributed to the presentation of over 100 productions that were displayed on stages across the globe, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London a ...

Associates.

Richard Kavanaugh Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

, who played Gibbs, was nominated for "Best Performance by a Featured Actor" at the

36th Tony Awards The 36th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 6, 1982, from the Imperial Theatre. The host was Tony Randall. Eligibility Shows that opened on Broadway during the 1981–1982 season before May 10, 1982 are eligible. ;Orig ...

in 1982. Cast: *

Dan Butler Daniel Eugene Butler (born December 2, 1954) is an American actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series ''Frasier'' (1993–2004), later reprising the role in 2024; Art in ''Roseanne'' (1991–1992); for the voice of Mr ...

, Lamb *

Peter Gerety Peter Gerety is an American actor. He played officer, later detective, Stuart Gharty on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1996–1999), and Judge Daniel Phelan in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). Early years Gerety was born in Providence, Rhode I ...

, Lush *

David C. Jones David Charles Jones (July 9, 1921 – August 10, 2013) was a United States Air Force general and the ninth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, Jones served as the highest-ranking uniformed officer of the United States Armed ...

, Lobb *

, Gibbs * Howard London, Tubb *

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

, Roote *

Amy Van Nostrand Amy Van Nostrand (born April 11, 1953) is an American actress. She has appeared on Broadway in '' The Hothouse'' by Harold Pinter; off-Broadway, she appeared in Pearl Theatre's ''Dance With Me''. Early years Van Nostrand was born in Providence ...

, Miss Cutts Other theatre personnel: * Eugene Lee, Scenic and Lighting Design *

William Lane William Lane (6 September 1861 – 26 August 1917) was an English-born journalist, author, advocate of Australian labour politics and a utopian socialist ideologue. Lane was born in Bristol, England into an impoverished family. After showi ...

, Costume Design

London revivals

A revival of ''The Hothouse'', directed by

Ian Rickson Ian David Rickson (born 1963) is a British theatre director. He was the artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006.

, with a cast including Stephen Moore (Roote),

Lia Williams Lia Williams (born 26 November 1964) is an English actress and director, on stage, in film and television. She has had television roles in ''The Crown'' (playing Wallis Simpson), in ''May 33rd'' (2004) for which she was nominated for a BAFTA, ...

(Miss Cutts), and

Henry Woolf Henry Woolf (20 January 1930 – 11 November 2021) was a British actor, theatre director, and teacher of acting, drama and theatre who lived in Canada. He was a longtime friend and collaborator of 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, having stim ...

(Tubb), was staged in the Lyttelton at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, London, from 11 July to 27 October 2007. ;London 2013 During May–August 2013 the play was presented at Studio One in the West End

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

, directed by

Jamie Lloyd Jamie Lloyd is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the ''Halloween'' franchise. Introduced in '' Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'' as the series' new protagonist after Jamie Lee Curtis declined to return as Laurie ...

. It starred

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He has been described by ''The Independent'' as "the greatest stage actor of his generation". He has received various accolades, including two BAFTA Awards, three Olivier Awar ...

John Simm John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' ...

Indira Varma Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love''. She is known for her television roles, such as playing Niobe in the BBC and HBO series ''R ...

Harry Melling Harry Edward Melling (born 17 March 1989) is an English actor known for playing Dudley Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' films (2001–2010) and Harry Beltik in ''The Queen's Gambit'' (2020). Early life Harry Edward Melling was born on 17 Marc ...

, John Heffernan,

Clive Rowe Clive Mark Rowe (born 27 March 1964) is a British actor. He began his career in theatre, winning a Laurence Olivier Award. On television, he is known for his roles as in the CBBC series '' The Story of Tracy Beaker'' (2002–2005) and '' So A ...

and

Christopher Timothy Christopher Timothy (born 14 October 1940) is a British actor and narrator. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in '' All Creatures Great and Small'', Mac McGuire in the BBC One daytime soap opera '' Doctors'' and Ted Murray in the BBC ...

Notes

External links

*
"The Hothouse"
at ''Harold Pinter.org'' – ''The Official Website of the International Playwright Harold Pinter'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hothouse, The 1958 plays Plays by Harold Pinter Methuen Publishing books Tragicomedy plays