“She wanted spontaneity, adventure… I said I can be spontaneous… I just need a little bit of time to plan.”

Peta is new in town and ready for whatever London has to throw at her. She’s looking for romance, for friendship, for exciting people to lead her on big adventures. But being an independent woman in the new millennium isn’t easy, especially when there’s a constant reminder of the life you’re trying to escape.

With each new encounter, Peta flirts with what might have been, but has the journey to London put enough distance between her and her past?

This is the first major revival of this fascinating and funny play from Susan Smith Blackburn Prize-winning playwright Chloe Moss (This Wide Night, Soho Theatre; Dickensian, BBC) which was first produced at Bush Theatre in 2004. How Love Is Spelt is directed by Charlotte Peters (Associate Director War Horse, UK Tour and An Inspector Calls, West End).

★★★★ “Delicate, dreamlike, yet keenly observed, the subdued, intentionally slow-moving script has lost none of its potency since its 2004 premiere.” The Stage

★★★★ “An emotive drama with some beautifully poignant dialogue from writer Chloe Moss.” Broadway World

★★★★ “Moss cleverly opens up the conversation about what love actually is and how loneliness and love can go hand in hand.” The Upcoming

★★★★ LondonTheatre1
★★★★ The Reviews Hub
★★★★ London Box Office

Press on How Love is Spelt‘s premiere:
“How Love Is Spelt signals the arrival of a remarkably assured new talent. I can’t remember a play in recent years that so adroitly captured the difficulty of being young and alone in the capital or did so with such refreshing humour.” Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph

“The finest and most assured writing to be found outside the National Theatre this year… Chloe Moss has lived up to her early promise with a moving and mature study of love, loneliness and the need to define one’s own identity… One of the year’s undoubted highlights.” Evening Standard

“Moss’s writing evokes these nocturnal collisions beautifully, using silence as powerfully as words, and brittle comedy as deftly as tremendous sadness.” The Guardian

Recommended for ages 14+. Please note this performance contains smoking, strong language, and scenes some may find distressing.