Harold Pinter Plays in London

Harold Pinter (1930 – 2008) was an English playwright, director, screenwriter, and actor. One of the most influential playwrights in British theatre, his career spanned over five decades. Pinter was a key figure in the Theatre of the Absurd; his works are frequently described as “Comedies of Menace” and are characterised by ironic dialogue and the “Pinter pause” – long silences that punctuate speech. Pinter was the recipient of many accolades, including the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature, a CBE, a French Legion d’honneur, Tony, Olivier and BAFTA awards as well as Academy Award nominations. In 2011, the Comedy Theatre in the West End was renamed the Harold Pinter Theatre in his honour. 

Browse our list of currently running shows and key past productions below, and set an alert to be notified when your favourite Harold Pinter plays return to London! Keep in mind that revivals are usually staged at different venues and tend to feature different casts and creative teams from those listed below.

The Birthday Party

At a rundown boarding house by the sea, the owners throw a party for their resident, piano tuner Stanley. But the event soon goes south when two sinister strangers who claim to know Stanley interrupt the celebrations… The production premiered in 1958 at the Arts Theatre Cambridge before transferring to London. Strange, ambiguous, and simmering with Pinter’s trademark undercurrent of menace, the play was panned upon its London premiere, closing after eight performances, until a belated rave review in the Sunday Times rescued the production’s reputation. Now considered a modern classic, it is one of Pinter’s best-known and most performed plays.  

Last On: 2018, Harold Pinter Theatre, starring Zoe Wanamaker, Toby Jones and Stephen Mangan.

The Caretaker

This absurdist tragicomedy follows mild-mannered handyman Aston, who takes in a homeless man, Davies, after rescuing him from a bar fight. As Davies settles in and begins to manipulate his vulnerable host, their situation is shaken up when Aston’s violent and unpredictable brother Mick returns to the flat and is drawn into their power struggle. The show was one of Pinter’s first commercial successes upon its London debut in 1960, and remains one of his most often performed plays. The show earned Tony nominations upon its Broadway premiere, and was adapted as a film in 1963.   

Last On: 2016, Old Vic, starring Timothy Spall. 

Old Times

Set in a converted farmhouse, Old Times is a haunting three-hander that explores the relationship between couple Deeley and Kate and Kate’s former roommate Anna. As the play unfolds, Anna arrives, causing allegiances to shift, and recollections to blur. The play premiered in 1971 at the Aldwych Theatre, performed by the RSC, before transferring to NYC where it earned Tony nominations and won a Drama Desk Award. In 2019 the play was ranked among the 40 greatest plays ever written by The Independent.

Last On: 2013, Harold Pinter Theatre, starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Rufus Sewell. 

No Man’s Land

No Man’s Land premiered at the Old Vic Theatre in 1975. At a grand house in North West London, alcoholic intellectual Hirst, and his live-in scribe and bodyguard, Foster and Briggs, host an overnight guest, Spooner, a down-at-heel poet. The play unfolds over the course of a summer evening and the following morning, as the men spar verbally and share reminiscences that may or may not be true, while Spooner vies for a permanent place in the household. A strange and haunting dissection of death, ageing and memory, with homoerotic undertones, No Man’s Land is one of Pinter’s most frequently revived plays.   

Last On: 2016, Wyndham’s Theatre, starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. 

Betrayal

Regarded as one of Pinter’s major works, Betrayal premiered in 1978 at the National Theatre. Drawing inspiration from a real extramarital affair conducted by Pinter, the play follows married couple, Emma and Robert, and their friend Jerry, with whom Emma has been cheating on Robert for over seven years. The play utilises reverse chronology to explore themes of betrayal throughout the relationship, with the action spanning from London to Venice. The play is frequently revived, winning an Olivier and earning Tony nominations upon its premiere, with notable casts including real-life couple Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz.

Last On: 2019, Harold Pinter Theatre, starring Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton. 

What Are Harold Pinter’s Most Famous Plays?

Pinter’s best-known plays include the Olivier- and Tony-nominated Betrayal, which was adapted as a film starring Ben Kingsley and Jeremy Irons in 1983; The Birthday Party, which embodies many of Pinter’s stylistic trademarks; and The Homecoming, which won four Tony Awards upon its New York premiere, alongside further Tony nominations for its 40th anniversary revival, and was also adapted for film by Pinter himself in 1973. 

How Often Are Plays by Harold Pinter Performed in London?

Pinter’s plays are frequently revived, particularly at his titular theatre, and on anniversaries of his notable productions. Check out upcoming and currently running shows above, or set an alert for revivals of your favourites! 

Where Can I Find Out More About Plays by Harold Pinter? 

To learn more about Harold Pinter’s life and works, check out the Britannica Bibliography website. 

What Else Can I See If I Like Harold Pinter Plays?

Pinter’s work is frequently compared to another pioneer of Theatre of the Absurd, Irish playwright Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot, Krapp’s Last Tape, Endgame), as well as plays by Tom Stoppard, a British playwright and contemporary of Pinter’s, whose notable works include Arcadia and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Other contemporaries of Pinter’s include Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf), Shelaigh Delaney (A Taste of Honey), John Osborne (Look Back in Anger), Arnold Wesker (Roots) and Caryl Churchill (Cloud 9, Top Girls).