In Jez Butterworth’s new play, we — the audience and protagonists alike — are kept waiting and wondering. It’s the summer of 1976 and Britain is in the midst of a heat wave. They must decide whether to put her out of her misery with a high dose of morphine, or let her continue to suffer. “The Hills of California,” written by Butterworth (“The Ferryman,” “Jerusalem”) and directed by Sam Mendes (“The Lehmann Trilogy”), runs at the Harold Pinter Theater in London, through June 15. Rob Howell’s impressive set makes the most of the playhouse’s nearly 40-foot grid height, with three flights of stairs leading up to the unseen guest rooms.

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Persons: Jez Butterworth’s, —, Jill, Ruby, Veronica, Joan, hasn’t, Will, Butterworth, Sam Mendes, “, Harold Pinter, Rob Howell’s Organizations: Blackpool, Harold Pinter Theater Locations: Britain, England, United States, California, ”, Jerusalem, London