Ryan Craig’s new play The Holy Rosenbergs explores tribal loyalties, the culpability of family and the consequences of standing up for what you believe is right.

As big-hearted patriarch David clings to a deal that could save both his ailing catering firm and his cherished standing in the Edgware Jewish community, his children are at loggerheads. While eldest son Danny fights for the Israelis in Gaza, his sister investigates war crimes in that same conflict. Their brother drinks and brawls and refuses to join their father’s business. But when tragedy strikes, each family member is forced to confront head-on the clash between individual identity and the demands and expectations of community.

Goodman, who plays David in The Holy Rosenbergs, is a hugely experienced actor whose work includes both dramas and musicals in the West End. At the National Theatre he has starred in Guys And Dolls and The Merchant Of Venice, while his West End credits include Fiddler On The Roof, Duet For One and Yes, Prime Minister.

The Holy Rosenbergs is directed by Laurie Sansom, whose productions of Spring Storm and Beyond The Horizon received critical acclaim when they played in the Cottseloe theatre earlier in 2010.

The Holy Rosenbergs playwright Craig has credits including The Glass Room at the Hampsted theatre and What We Did To Weinstein at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He also wrote the translation of Our Class, which played at the National Theatre in 2009. 

For more about The Holy Rosenbergs at the National Theatre, read the First Night Feature.