National Theatre at Home: The Land of the Living

National Theatre at Home: The Land of the Living

2025
2h 29min

‘All my life – all your life – I’ve struggled with this: was what I did “wrong”?’ Germany, 1945. Thomas, one of thousands of children stolen by the Nazis from Eastern Europe during WWII, is under the care of Ruth, a UN relief worker. Should she try to find his parents or leave him with those he’s grown up with? The choice she makes will shape his life. London, 1990. Years later, Thomas visits Ruth. As they untangle the past, the decisions Ruth made as a very young woman are called powerfully into question. Juliet Stevenson is Ruth in this remarkable and timely new play by David Lan, former Artistic Director of the Young Vic. Immersed in the shapeshifting nature of memory and morality, it’s directed by Stephen Daldry (The Jungle, The Inheritance).

National Theatre at Home: The Land of the Living

Storyline

‘All my life – all your life – I’ve struggled with this: was what I did “wrong”?’ Germany, 1945. Thomas, one of thousands of children stolen by the Nazis from Eastern Europe during WWII, is under the care of Ruth, a UN relief worker. Should she try to find his parents or leave him with those he’s grown up with? The choice she makes will shape his life. London, 1990. Years later, Thomas visits Ruth. As they untangle the past, the decisions Ruth made as a very young woman are called powerfully into question. Juliet Stevenson is Ruth in this remarkable and timely new play by David Lan, former Artistic Director of the Young Vic. Immersed in the shapeshifting nature of memory and morality, it’s directed by Stephen Daldry (The Jungle, The Inheritance).
    Released
    16 December 2025
    Runtime
    2h 29min
    Status
    Released
    Language
    English
Cast