Leave Hitler to Me, Lad, written and directed by Haley Cox, tells the story of the war children who never get picked up, and don’t know who their family are as they were so young. We see this through the story of Brian, Gladys and George, in a children’s home in Essex in 1952, still desperately hoping to be claimed so long after the war; and through the eyes of Brian, another twenty years later, having returned.

Brian’s sister, Pam, finds out about Brian’s existence, which had been hidden from her by her drunk, abusive father, and faces the dilemma of whether to connect with him but also introduce him tosuch a negligent family. We also see the emotional effects on the children and teachers at the school who one by one must say goodbye to their only friends and surrogate children respectively.

Emotionally, the play is grounded in the quite extraordinary musicality of the production. The four main adult performers are all fantastic musicians and singers, all playing multiple instruments as they present a number of songs composed for the production by Ben Pringle, which effectively capture the era and the sentiments of the characters. A couple are presented as if they’re on the radio, but others are used simply as portrayals of the feelings the characters are going through, and because it’s set up from the start, it works seamlessly. The songs are beautifully presented and add a real extra dimension and atmosphere to the production.

The actors are strong and, despite a hampering script, produce subtle but very real portrayals of their characters, as they navigate the poignant issues that these situations throw up. They all have more than one role, and are able to balance these with clear differentiation and bring a warmth to the production through their singing. The child actors also appear composed and have good expression, particularly Sam Davies playing George, the playful child who gets claimed first.

As adult Brian and drunken father Eric, Louis Labovitch adds a silent, subtle commentary to the story of his younger self in an understated but engaging way. His almost constant presence on stage is very effective, and his instrumental versatility is incredibly impressive. His drunken father lacks a little aggression, but overall he carries the show well. As Pamela’s boyfriend Barry, James Mountain brings real energy to the show, both in his movement on the small stage but also in his singing, and it is nicely balanced with his portrayal of Mr. Bill, the caring tutor of the war children at the home who inevitably becomes too attached. Rachel O’Hare, playing Pamela along with a couple of minor roles, is the emotional heart of the production as she struggles with how to deal with her abusive father and the moral hurt of trying to create a family for the young Brian single-handedly. Her singing is also heartfelt and powerful, as well as her playing of multiple instruments. Rosie Fox, who plays the flirtatious Mary and the prim, cool schoolmistress Miss Bates, has the best variation in her characters and seems the most complete of the actors, while also playing rhythm guitar for some of the songs.

The script is unfortunately the thing that holds the production back. While the songs carry the play’s heart, the dialogue does not back this up. The realism in the crucial scenes is not strong enough to carry the emotions, and it is telling that the most affecting scenes are actually those involving the children bidding farewell to each other and not actually saying anything. The more emotional monologues do not naturally flow and the ending is somewhat clichéd, with some loose ends not tied up that I feel would have made the play more complete. That said, it captures the time well, and does allow the characters real freedom of expression with the songs.

With a tiny stage space, the set is inventive. It is not particularly complicated, but the giant carpet covering the stage and cyclorama depicting a war propaganda poster concerning evacuation adds to the atmosphere. The school desks appear authentic and are effective practically. The costumes are also functional, but they ground the show very clearly in the period. The matching of the costume of younger and older Brian also helps to show a clear link between them.

There is not much recorded sound, but the music performed by the actors is fantastic, carrying the production and providing its most enjoyable aspect. The lighting is a bit more stylised, based around the creation of mood, with blue washes for low key moments for example: it adds energy and atmosphere to the scenes. The creation of a train with a red and blue mix and some steam is particularly enjoyable.

As a production in general it’s not fantastic, simply because the script does not really allow for a natural, flowing story. The actors do the best with what they are given, but an edge is lost as it is slightly harder to connect with them. However, the musicality is fantastic and the warmth with which the show is performed makes it enjoyable, if not outstanding.

Leave Hitler to Me, Lad is playing Arts Theatre until 18 October. For more information and tickets, see the Arts Theatre website. Photo: Duckegg Theatre Company.