Lucy Kirkwood's allegorical drama The Children has returned to the Lyric Hammersmith in a tenth-anniversary revival, directed by artistic director Rachel O'Riordan, and it earns three out of five stars. The production, running from 11 September to 3 October 2026, arrives at a moment when environmental anxieties have intensified, giving the play's themes renewed resonance.
A decade on, the allegory feels sharper
First staged in 2016, The Children centres on Hazel and Robin, a long-married couple and former nuclear physicists, living on a remote stretch of the British coast. In the radioactive aftermath of a disaster at a nuclear facility they once helped establish, they attempt to sustain a self-sufficient, organic lifestyle. Their quiet existence is disrupted when Rose, a former colleague, reappears, forcing them to confront the consequences of their shared past.
According to Time Out's review, the environmental themes have "only grown more relevant" in the decade since the play debuted, particularly as the world has faced extreme weather events this summer. O'Riordan's production makes this urgency visible: Gary McCann's set features an enormous reactor tunnel that looms over the action, serving as both literal backdrop and symbolic reminder of the danger that surrounds the characters.
Performances capture tension and unease
Meera Syal plays Hazel with a prickly defensiveness, using a tight smile, yoga, and healthy living as shields against Rose's intrusion. Her muted, earthy costume underscores her attempts to maintain control in a world falling apart. Kerry Fox's Rose is nervy and frustrated, her too-loud laughter and blue jacket marking her as out of place in the couple's beige domesticity. Declan Conlon's Robin brings a forced jollity that deflates over the course of the play.
O'Riordan's direction often has the actors speaking over one another, a choice that heightens the sense of conversation as evasion. The result, the review notes, is an "effectively brittle and on-edge atmosphere" that sustains tension throughout the 1hr 30min running time.
Big questions, uneven subplots
Kirkwood's setup is specific, but the questions it raises are broad: what legacy are we leaving to our children as the next custodians of the planet, and do we have a responsibility to clean up the messes we have made, even at personal cost? When Rose finally reveals why she has come, the mortal threat posed by the nuclear plant makes these questions feel powerfully real.
However, the play's exploration of past romantic entanglements and jealousies is less compelling than its central dilemma. More intriguing are the thorny, deliberately unresolved debates about the value and purpose of prolonged old age in the modern world. A subplot about letting children grow up feels narratively convenient as the play manoeuvres towards its climax involving sacrifice.
The Children runs at the Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, London W6 0QL, with performances scheduled through 3 October 2026. Tickets range from £10 to £55. The nearest tube station is Hammersmith.
