In her late forties, Harper Regan suddenly leaves her family in the suburbs of West London and sets off on a mission to see her father before he dies. Her journey becomes a road trip through the heart of England in this violent and comic exploration of the moralities of sex and death. Harper Regan is the major new play by the National Theatre's resident dramatist, Simon Stephens, and will be directed by Marianne Elliott, current holder of the Evening Standard Theatre award for best director. The play opens at the National in April 2008.