First performed in 1952, when Rattigan was at the height of his powers, The Deep Blue Sea opens with the failed suicide of Hester Collyer (played by Peggy Ashcroft in the first production). She has deserted her husband, a judge, for the raffish charms of an ex-fighter pilot. The play was sparked off by the suicide of a young actor, Kenneth Morgan, with whom Rattigan had himself been much in love. Though contained within a perfectly crafted well-made play, Rattigan's finely observed portrait of Hester gives The Deep Blue Sea an almost classical depth and emotional resonance.