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Sarajevo's Child

nytheatre.com review by Julie Congress
August 15, 2005

In 1992, war erupted in Bosnia. Nadja Halilbegovich was just 12 years old at the time. In the midst of unimaginable devastation, she kept a diary, detailing everything from playing with the children in her building, to being injured by an exploding bombshell, to writing to President Clinton on behalf of the children of Sarajevo, to her difficult and terrifying escape to America. Katie Simon has taken Nadja’s entries and adapted them into a play. The result is Sarajevo’s Child, a stunning, life-affirming piece of theatre.Actors Joey Dudding, Matthew Erickson, Lisa Lemley, Emma Lorraine, and Dana Mierlak are young, energetic, and genuine. They take turns speaking Nadja’s words and when one is speaking, the other four members of the ensemble become everything else in the scene—other children, parents, a hospital bed, the walls of a tunnel; nothing is too difficult for these versatile actors.The decision to have the ensemble share the challenge of playing Nadja is a brilliant one. With five actors playing the part, we are constantly reminded that this is not one isolated person’s experiences, but representative of the plight of millions. We see the magnitude of war, but in a humanized way, without it being reduced to just numbers.Michelle Bossy’s direction is powerful and innovative. No movement is superfluous, and she is able to adapt children’s games into euphemisms for war. Balls and jump ropes become implements of death and destruction. It’s shocking and terrible, but amazing in its representation of how the lives of innocent children are tainted by war. Throughout, Bossy creates strong, evocative images. Frequently, Nadja’s diary entries mention attacks and the number of people killed in them. As these death tolls are pronounced, the actors lay out small white crosses along the front of the stage. Before long, the stage is covered with them.The strong visual nature of the show is perfectly enhanced by Dana Sterling’s dramatic lighting design. John D. Ivy’s sound design underscores the action equally well. Bossy’s strong artistic style is imbued in every facet of this production and the result is remarkable.Sarajevo’s Child is haunting and cannot be put out of the mind easily. This, I suppose, is its intention. We should not forget about the Bosnian War when innocent people, particularly children, are dying all around the world. This is not just a play about a past war; it’s a timeless story that portrays the horror of war—any war. We shouldn’t passively watch as people unnecessarily die, and this play is just the call to action we need.