The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. was adapted for the theatre in 1982 by British playwright Christopher Hampton . It was staged in April 1982 at London 's Mermaid Theatre under the direction of John Dexter with Alec McCowen playing the part of Adolf Hitler . McCowen won the 1982 Evening Standard Theatre Award for best actor for this performance . In 1983 the production moved to the United States where it played at the Hartford Stage Company in Hartford , Connecticut , directed by Mark Lamos and starring John Cullum as Hitler .