It’s based on a book by William Dalrymple called “White Mughals,” about the East India Company at the turn of the eighteenth century. Specifically, a Muslim princess falls for an English officer. Hampton told Variety that the play, set in the same period as his Les Liaisons Dangereuses, is planned as an epic for the Olivier, though that may change. This means that Hampton will be one of the country’s most visible dramatists over the next couple of years. The Philanthropist continues its sell-out run at the Donmar (although any transfer will be on hold as its star, Simon Russell Beale, has signed up for Spamalot in New York). Another Hampton play, Embers, will showcase Jeremy Irons’ West End return at the Duke of York’s in March 2006. And, the writer’s version of The Seagull will premiere at the Royal Court near the end of that year.
