On Aug. 13 Faber and Faber, Inc. will release the 93-page script of the play, which was first presented at London's Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in Oct. 2002. Produced by Robert Fox, that production starred Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith under the direction of Howard Davies. Inspired by Gaugin's epigram "Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge," Hare's play concerns two women whose lives are linked by one man. During a single, extraordinary night, Madeleine Palmer (Smith), a retired curator, and Angela Beale, a popular novelist, who have met only once before, spend an evening together in a way that echoes the hidden courses of their lives.

Born in Sussex in 1947, David Hare's first play, produced in 1970, was Slag. He began working at London's National Theatre a year later, and between 1978 and 1997 the theatre produced 11 of his plays. Hare's numerous Broadway credits include Plenty, The Secret Rapture, Skylight, The Judas Kiss, The Blue Room, Via Dolorosa and Amy's View.

The paperback script is priced at $13. The ISBN number is 0-571-21593-9.