'If she hadn't died, if you had got to Italy – would you have married her for real?' 

It's the week leading up to Kate and Geoff's wedding anniversary, and preparations for the party are in full swing. As they choose the music for their first dance, a letter from Switzerland arrives and quietly shatters their world.

Buried for decades, the body of a young woman has been found in the melting ice. Is the past another country, or is it just beneath the surface?

45 Years is an achingly tense, intimate and moving play, adapted from Andrew Haigh's critically acclaimed film, itself based on a short story by David Constantine.

The play is premiered at the Minerva Theatre at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2026, directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah, with a cast including Gabriel Byrne and Geraldine James.