The Vertical Hour

The Vertical Hour is a play by David Hare. The play addresses the relationship of characters with opposing views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and also explores psychological tension between public lives and private lives.

The play made its world premiere on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on 30 November 2006, directed by Sam Mendes. The cast featured Bill Nighy, Julianne Moore in her Broadway debut, and Andrew Scott. It closed on 11 March 2007, after 23 previews and 117 performances.

The play received its UK premiere at the Royal Court Theatre on 17 January 2008 in a production directed by Jeremy Herrin. The principal actors were Indira Varma, Anton Lesser and Tom Riley. It was the fastest selling new play in the Royal Court's history and was broadcast on BBC Radio Three on 25 May 2008.

The Vertical Hour was revived at the Off-West End Park Theatre in a new production directed by Nigel Douglas. The show opened in September 2014 and was produced by Oliver Taheri Productions. The cast featured Peter Davison as Oliver Lucas, Finlay Robertson as Phillip, and Thusitha Jayasundera as Nadia Blye.

On 10 September 2014, The Vertical Hour had its South African premiere at Theatre on the Bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town. The play was directed by Fred Abrahamse and produced by Pieter Toerien. The production transferred to the Studio Theatre at Montecasino, Johannesburg, from 1 October 2014 - 8 November.

Hare considers the work to be a companion piece to his play Stuff Happens, about the Iraq War, but on an intimate scale. In the private conversations of a war correspondent, who covered the conflict, and her boyfriend's father, Hare believes that he presents the theme of national responsibility for war with relevance equal to his epic piece depicting soldiers and statesmen preparing for invasion.

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