The Tall Boy

Adapted by Simon Bent from Kay Boyle’s short story “The Lost,” the 70-minute, one-person drama follows “Missus” as she attempts to repatriate displaced and unaccompanied children in the wake of World War II. She’s an American serving in Germany, working in a repurposed mansion in the shadow of what was a death camp. The duty of Missus is to find out where they’re from and who their families are. Or were. The Tall Boy is a moving tale told by the American matron of an orphanage for “unaccompanied children” in occupied Germany following World War II. Examining the fragility and resilience of children in war, she tells the story of three boys: a 15-year-old Czech, a 14-year-old Pole and a 12-year-old Italian. The boys have become mascots to the GIs and are desperate to get to America to be reunited with their US Army buddies but only one boy has a soldier willing to adopt him.