‘I instantly understood the two different sides of your nature: the frivolous, pleasure-loving socialite and the uncompromisingly serious, hard-working writer.’

It’s this split in Stefan’s character – named S in Stefan Zweig’s novella, retitled Visit from an Unknown Woman in Christopher Hampton’s haunting adaptation – that is the root cause of one woman’s obsession.

Originally set in 1920s Vienna and transposed to the 1930s, the play forefronts the theme of patriarchy in a declining world of cavalier hedonism with antisemitism sharply on the rise.

The play is set in 1930s Vienna at a time of hedonism with antisemitism on the riseThe play is set in 1930s Vienna at a time of hedonism with antisemitism on the rise (Image: Marc Brenner)

First staged at Vienna’s Theater in der Josefstadt, Hampton changes time-lines to keep the mystery charged.

Stefan brings Marianne back to the flat for a sexual encounter now she is a beautiful society escort, a different vision from the gauche 18-year-old showroom assistant who stalked him and contrived a ‘chance’ meeting, or the gauche schoolgirl who was his neighbour.

Still, he fails to recognise her. The presence of a bunch of white roses in his flat, a gift he receives every birthday anonymously from her in memory of a one-time gesture, leaves him blank.

Jessie Gatward as young Marianne in Visit from an Unknown WomanJessie Gatward as young Marianne in Visit from an Unknown Woman (Image: Marc Brenner)

The production, directed by Chelsea Walker, is exquisitely elegant.

The sparse set, designed by Rosanna Vize, conjures period Vienna - a mahogany desk, sofa and piano - while contemporary relevance is suggested through a metal-frame rectangle flanking the rudimentary emptiness of his home, his life.

Off-scene spaces and implied romantic moments are cued-in through ghostly lighting changes. Natalie Simpson as Marianne is balletic in her movements, conveying a lifetime of love kept under wraps, and James Corrigan as Stefan [he stepped in last minute] has an earthy magnetism, gliding past her at times, his introspection part choreographed.

Jessie Gattward, Young Marianne, shape-shifts around the action, tumbling into decomposing rose petals.

It’s all a bit art-house. Plus, there is an issue with remodelling a story about an unseen, used woman and giving the emblematic culprit more of a voice, albeit that’s a shift that drama inevitably drives.

Drawing a direct parallel between Jewish Zweig and Stefan adds layers though the original point about male weakness and faceless entitlement is diluted. But the atmosphere is powerful.

Distant sounds of church bells and dogs barking further evoke this fading world.

Visit from an Unknown Woman runs at Hampstead Theatre until July 27.