About

By Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt.

Translated by Jeremy Sams. Directed by Lydia Sax.

Two Men. One Secret. A Confrontation Years in the Making.

On a remote island in the Norwegian Sea, Nobel Prize-winning author Abel Znorko lives in isolation. He has just published his final masterpiece: a passionate love story told entirely through letters.

Into this solitude comes journalist Erik Larsen, determined to speak with the elusive writer.

But this is no ordinary interview. Znorko is guarded. Larsen won't back down. And at the centre of their exchange is a woman—enigmatic, absent, yet vividly alive in every word they utter.

As the tension mounts, a web of secrets, betrayals, and long-buried truths begins to unravel. Who was she? Why does she haunt them both? And what really brought Larsen to Znorko's door?

Directed by OSO Artistic Director Lydia Sax (Things I Know to be True, The Revlon Girl, Once Upon a Bridge), The Enigma Variations is a taut psychological drama about obsession, authorship, and the dangerous fictions we weave to survive.

This production marks the UK revival of Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt's internationally acclaimed French play – translated into over 45 languages and rendered into English by acclaimed director and lyricist Jeremy Sams (Noises Off, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Spend Spend Spend).

Generously supported by our 37 Theatre Angels and The Garrick Charitable Trust, it is the OSO's second in-house, two-week production.

Prepare to enter a world where the deepest secrets are written between the lines.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"A dazzling game of masks... thrilling and deeply human."— Le Figaro

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"Schmitt's writing is as precise as it is poetic—an emotional minefield hidden beneath polished dialogue."— Le Monde

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "A masterclass in suspense and emotional revelation."— France Inter

Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's play Variations Enigmatiques is represented by Agence Drama–Paris(France) –www.dramaparis.com

This production has been licensed by arrangement with The Agency (London) Ltd, 24 Pottery Lane, London W11 4LZ e-mail: info@theagency.co.uk.