This lush, ‘must-watch’ drama is a timely reflection on refugees and the repercussions of war

The American Jewish writer Lillian Hellman may have written this edgy exploration of American responses to World War II back in 1941, but this spot-on revival has certainly found its moment.

The play opens in 1940, in the elegant Washington DC home of the Farrelly family. Fanny Farrelly (Patricia Hodge), the widowed matriarch of this wealthy, upper-crust clan, has a houseful of guests. The latest arrival is Sara (Caitlin Fitzgerald), the daughter she’s not seen since she moved to Europe almost 20 years ago, following her marriage to German-born anti-Fascist activist Kurt Mueller (Mark Waschke) Now that Sara and their three children are safe at the family home, Kurt reveals his plans for an imminent return to Europe on a dangerous mission. The extent of Kurt’s courage and the sacrifices he is prepared to make – and expects from his family – gradually emerge over the course of the play. 

It’s notable that Kurt’s revelations of the terror facing European refugees omit specific mention of them being Jews. And although Hellman based his character on a heroic Jewish antifascist, and his role was first played by Hungarian-Jewish actor Paul Lukas, he is identified as an ‘anti-Nazi’ rather than a Jew.

Also staying at the Farrelly residence are an impoverished Romanian count, Teck (uncomfortably convincing John Light), and his wife Marthe, (played by a feisty Carlyss Peer),still damaged from being married off to him as an underage teenage bride, who seeks consolation in the arms Fanny’s unmarried son David (sympathetic Geoffrey Streatfield). Alongside the political undertones, Hellman’s drama also develops into an edgy thriller, with the ruthless Teck and fearless Kurt at its heart. It’s soon no secret that both are strapped for ready cash, but their responses to their circumstances could not be more different. 

Hodge brings a gloriously acerbic sparkle to the role of Fanny, delivering commands and put downs with razor-sharp precision, but always subtly revealing the anxieties of the widow who has lived so long without her daughter. True, she has bachelor David to share her home and two faithful but feisty servants. Housekeeper Anise and butler Joseph, played with justifiable chutzpah by Kate Duchêne and David Webber, both give as good as they get.

The tensions and joys of the family reunion are beautifully scripted and played out with vivid intensity by Fitzgerald and Hodge and the three extraordinary young actors who play her children: Billy Byers as Joshua, the oldest, Chloe Raphael as Babette and Bertie Caplan as youngest sibling, Bodo – who delivers unsettling remarks with an appealing airy innocence. Hodge’s uncertain baby steps as she grapples with the new role of grandmother are especially poignant.

Ellen McDougall’s assured direction expertly marshals the family tensions, which are set against Baskia Biñkowska’s uncluttered set and accompanied by a score that includes music by refugee Jewish composers of the time, Russian-born Mischa Spoliansky and the German film composer Friedrich Hollaender (a note in the programme outlines their lives and work). 

This sensitive production resonates with today’s discussion of the refugee crisis and feels particularly significant as the world marks a year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has pitched Europe into war once more.

By Judi Herman

Photos by Manuel Harlan

Watch on the Rhine runs until Saturday 4 February. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). £10-£60, under-30s £10 (limited tickets available per show). Donmar Theatre, WC2H 9LX. donmarwarehouse.com