Hysteria (play)

Hysteria: Or Fragments of an Analysis of an Obsessional Neurosis
Written by	Terry Johnson
Date premiered	1 August 1993
Place premiered	Royal Court Theatre London
Original language	English
Subject	Two of the world's greatest and most eccentric minds collide when Sigmund Freud and Salvador Dalí meet
Genre	Comedy

Hysteria: Or Fragments of an Analysis of an Obsessional Neurosis is a two-hour play by Terry Johnson fictionalising a 1938 meeting between Salvador Dalí and Sigmund Freud a year before the latter's death. It is named after the Freudian psychological term "hysteria".

Performance history

The play's London premiere was on 1 August 1993. In a 2007 production at the Birmingham Rep, Sean Foley appeared as Freud, Sam Swainsbury as Dalí, Ruth Miller as Jessica, and John Burgess as Yahuda.^[1] In the 2012 production at the Theatre Royal, Bath (directed by the author), Antony Sher appeared as Freud, Will Keen as Dalí, Indira Varma as Jessica, and David Horovitch as Yahuda.^[2] Sher and Horovitch revived their roles from 5 September to 12 October 2013 at the Hampstead Theatre, with Adrian Schiller as Dalí and Lydia Wilson as Jessica.^[3]

References

Further reading

• Johnson, Terry (1993). Hysteria: Fragments of an Analysis of an Obsessional Neurosis. Royal Court writers series. London: Methuen Drama in association with Royal Court Theatre. ISBN 0-413-68210-2.