Susan Mach’s play The Lost Boy skillfully recreates the historical event of a child kidnapping which occurred in 1874. The play is beautifully written; its dialogue clearly illuminates a vast panoply of characters, while the the action moves swiftly and inevitably forward. As all good historical work, it illuminates both its own time and ours. Mach creates a tragic story of a family caught in horrible circumstances and a world of press and spectacle that drown the grieving parents with attention and criticism. It’s a story about vulnerability and abuse skillfully managed, deftly written. Certainly a story for our time, for any time.
Labels: Oregon Literary Fellowships, Playwrights