Christopher Hampton to translate Florian Zeller's The Lie for Menier Chocolate Factory

The Menier Chocolate Factory will host the English language premiere of The Lie, Forin Zeller's play about a woman who sports her friend's husband with another woman.

Christopher Hampton will translate the piece which will be directed by Lindsay Posner. The piece reunites Zeller, Hampton and Posner after last year's The Truth, which ran at the Menier and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Comedy following a West End transfer.

The piece follows Alice, who spots her friend's husband out with a woman who isn't her friend. She is torn on whether to tell the friend the truth, or save face by lying to her. Alice's husband Paul believes it would be better to lie, but Alice doesn't know who would benefit and who would suffer from doing so.

Originally titled Le Mensonge ran in Paris in 2015 by French theatre group Theatre in Paris, who provided English surtitles for the production. When it runs at the Menier, it will be the first time the play has been performed in English.

The Lie will have set designs by Anna Fleischle, costumes by Loren Elstein, lighting by Howard Harrison and sound designs by Gregory Clarke. Isobel Waller-Bridge, the sister of Fleabag actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, will provide original compositions for the production.

The Truth opened at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2016 and transferred to the Wyndham's later that year. In our LondonTheatre.co.uk review, we called it a "solid comedy" adding "anyone wanting a little depth to their deception will be pleasantly rewarded".

French playwright Zeller's other works include the plays The Mother (2010), The Father (2012) and Une Heure de tranquillité (2013), which was adapted into the 2014 film Do Not Disturb.

For more information on The Lie, click here.