David Hare's play The Vertical Hour is a thought-provoking exploration of how the political can sometimes intersect, collide with and ultimately dismantle the personal. The play is positively brimming with cogent and fascinating arguments involving the current political situation.
Nadia, an ex-war correspondent turned Yale professor is meeting her boyfriend's father, Oliver, for ther first time. Her boyfriend warns her that Oliver is a bit of a womanizer, and in total opposition to her feelings on the war in Iraq. When they meet the arguments fly back and forth, but Nadia does feel herself slowly becoming more and more intrigued with Oliver. More than just political ties are revealed as Oliver unveils more about his past, and why he's living so far outside of London.