Overview
- David Lan’s new play at the National’s Dorfman, drawn from Gitta Sereny’s reporting, examines the postwar rehoming of children through a 1990 confrontation.
- Stephen Daldry’s production uses Miriam Buether’s traverse staging, multilingual passages and Gareth Fry’s sound to keep most children heard rather than seen.
- Juliet Stevenson’s portrayal of Ruth is widely praised, with Tom Wlaschiha and young lead Artie Wilkinson-Hunt singled out for strong turns.
- Critics question the nearly three-hour running time, citing narrative padding and a loss of intimacy despite the production’s scale.
- Reviews note topical echoes with reports of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and the run is listed to 1 November.