Stenham makes West End debut

The Duke of York's Theatre in St Martin's Lane will witness a remarkable debut tonight when 21-year-old Polly Stenham becomes the youngest playwright in 42 years to have a first play open in the West End. That Face, written when she was only 19, was described as "one of the most astonishing debuts I have seen in more than 30 years" by the Daily Telegraph's theatre critic Charles Spencer when it was performed at the Royal Court's Upstairs Studio Theatre a year ago.

But according to Christopher Hampton, who was only 18 when his first play, When Did You Last See My Mother, opened in the West End in 1966 (also coming in from the Royal Court), Stenham had better enjoy the moment - because it won't last. Hampton told the Times that despite winning an Olivier award and an Oscar during his distinguished career, he has never received such good reviews again. As for his second play Total Eclipse, his theatrical life was almost derailed, so discouraging was the response.

Said Hampton: "You can drive yourself mad thinking, 'What do I do to top that?' and I probably took 10 to 12 years to figure out that the thing is to enjoy the work, rather than worrying about how it fares."

Stenham's play stars Lindsay Duncan as the well-heeled alcoholic mother in a dysfunctional family. The plot incorporates boarding school bullying, addiction and an Oedipal twist. It has been greeted by many as a welcome change from the West End's obsession with council-estate drama, addressing instead the anxieties a middle-class theatre audience can more readily relate to.

Stenham is the daughter of the Unilever tycoon Anthony 'Cob' Stenham who died in 2006. She was educated at Wycombe Abbey and Rugby before dropping out of London University to join the Royal Court Young Writers programme. She won The Evening Standard theatre award for most promising playwright last year (where she is pictured, above, with her actor boyfriend Harry Treadaway). Even before her West End trial, she has received a UK Film Council grant to adapt That Face for the cinema.

Asked about the West End transfer, she was relaxed about her big night. "I think it's a good play, but this has been the most ridiculously amazing reaction to something that I never thought would leave my bedroom."