The Land of the Living at the National Theatre review: Juliet Stevenson is assured but this play feels hollow

Juliet Stevenson (Ruth), Tom Wlaschiha (Thomas) and Artie Wilkinson-Hunt (Young Thomas) in The Land of the Living at the National Theatre - (Manuel Harlan)

At first glance, The Land of the Living appears to have all the makings of a major theatrical event. It marks David Lan’s first significant British production since stepping down as Artistic Director of the Young Vic in 2018, and the man behind the global puppet tour Little Amal returns with the same fierce convictions that have long defined his work. Factor in multi-award-winning director Stephen Daldry and Juliet Stevenson in the lead role, and it looks like a recipe for a surefire stage hit.

And yet the conundrum of The Land of the Living is that, for all its pedigree, something essential and affecting never quite materialises. Set in the aftermath of the Second World War, the play unfolds like a mystery. Stevenson plays Ruth, an employee of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, tasked with rehoming displaced children.