Review: The Land Of The Living (Dorfman Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

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It’s a busy time at National Theatre with all three of their spaces welcoming new shows opening in the space of two weeks, as well as a West End transfer at the same time, as new Artistic Director Indhu Rabasingham begins her inaugural season. Ahead of next week’s Bacchae and the following week’s Hamlet, it kicks off with the arrival of a brand new play at the Dorfman Theatre, as David Ian’s The Land Of The Living settles in for its world premiere. Would this promising play set the bar high for the weeks ahead?

Set in 1945, The Land Of The Living is themed around the displacement of thousands of children stolen by the Nazis from Eastern Europe during World War II, focusing on one in particular - a boy named Thomas. Fast forward 45 years, and Thomas has gone to visit Ruth, the UN relief worker who initially looked after him following the war. Attempting to make sense of the past, the pair revisit what happened and question whether the right choice was made as questions on memory and morality are explored.

Quite often in the theatre, you know whether or not you like or dislike a play in a matter of minutes. It’s safe to say that The Land Of The Living did not enthrall me at first, with a very slow and sluggish first half of Act One that I struggled to connect with as I mentally prepared to write a very different review from the one you are reading now. Then it all changed. In the briefest of moments, the energy shifted, and I found myself sitting more upright than I had before. As Act One came roaring to a close, the audience filed out in near silence, taking in the enormity of what we had just witnessed.

David Lan’s writing is fairly bold in its approach to this show. Knowing full well events are going to explode, he doesn’t attempt to rush things, risking alienating and boring members of the audience. It’s a huge risk, but the payoff is well worth it, with the final 10 or so minutes of Act One among the best I have seen in a theatre this year. Act Two offered a similar structure, with the first half slower than the second, though this time there was no risk of not paying attention, as I was already completely enraptured from what I had seen prior to the interval.

Lan’s writing in The Land Of The Living can be cold, confusing, and hard to follow at times, but it ultimately works out. As I tried to make sense of some of the harder to understand moments from Act One, eventually everything aligned, meaning you need patience to truly appreciate the payoff. It’s not the only aspect of this play that is hard to understand, with six different languages spoken throughout the piece. Don’t be alarmed by that and worry that it is inaccessible, as the differing languages are translated in ways that feel natural with the story. The rare moments that aren’t translated are easy to understand, thanks to the nature of the writing.

The Dorfman Theatre is the most versatile of the three National Theatre stages, but I have never seen it quite like this. With a huge catwalk of a stage completely splitting the audience in two, in what feels like a clever nod to the displacement in the story, the set design from Miriam Buether is quite simply out of this world. Effortlessly transitioning from 1945 to 1990, it is full of intricate and exquisite detail that is filled with life and transformative abilities. Easily one of the best designs I have seen on stage this year, it is elevated by some fantastic lighting from James Farncombe that makes the stage come alive and feel quite scary in other times, at one point even changing the look of some of the props on stage in an inspired touch.

Sound also plays a huge part in The Land Of The Living. While the cast features one sole child (more on him shortly), this is a story about thousands of children. As such, their voices reverberate around the theatre in effects that can be eerie and ominous, signifying the weight of the story and immersing the audience into it. Gareth Fry’s creative design is used to incredible effect in a play where the design aspects are among the best you will find.

There are several factors to be wowed by in this play - one of which is Stephen Daldry’s remarkable direction. No stranger (pun intended) to bold and inventive staging, he has done it again with The Land Of The Living, with every choice stunning to witness. From the placement of characters and their use of space around the theatre to how best they manage to convey the story for all of its emotion, Daldry delivers a near-faultless production that speaks to the urgency of Lan’s story - unflinching and uncompromising, it is quite distinct in its style, but that makes it all the more memorable.

Juliet Stevensen leads the cast as Ruth, once again displaying what a fine actress she is in a complex role that demands a bit of bravado and an initially steel presence, only to pave way for the heart and humanity she has inside of her. Stevenson is at her best channelling these conflicting attributes, anchoring the story with her magnetic stage presence. Tom Wlaschiha is a constant presence as the adult version of Thomas, often lingering in the background but rarely having moments to take centre stage himself as Stevenson narrates the past to him. When he does get a chance, however, he is thrilling to watch, with his and Stevenson’s dynamic together cold and complicated.

The role of young Thomas is shared between four actors. At this press night performance, it fell to Artie Wilkinson-Hunt to take on the demanding role, and the result was just astonishing. His appearance immediately lifts the story, and his take on the role at such a young age felt almost impossible; such is the standard of his acting. Going to extremes, especially when Thomas has his angry moments, Wilkinson-Hunt is a force to be reckoned with on stage, not only going toe to toe with a theatrical legend that is Juliet Stevenson, but even eclipsing her in certain moments, as unlikely as that sounds. In a truly jaw-dropping portrayal, Wilkinson-Hunt delivers what is, without a doubt, the finest performance from a child actor I have ever witnessed, setting himself up as one to watch in the future.

The Land Of The Living may not be the most instant of shows, but it is brave in both its approach and execution, and the result leads to an enthralling and exhilarating show. Though it isn’t perfect due to some of the early pacing issues, when this play is good, it is among the very best theatre has to offer. Landing the themes with sensitivity and impact, it manages to shine a light on an often underlooked aspect of history, and the result is a watch that proves both powerful and moving. It may have taken a while to find its footing, but it found itself eventually, and there is certainly a place to be found for a show as striking as this.

The Land Of The Living plays at the Dorfman Theatre until 1st November. Tickets from https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-land-of-the-living/

Photos by Manuel Harlan