Tusk Tusk is set once upon a time in what feels like another country. Three children play hide and seek: 15-year-old Elliott wears a crown, 13-year-old Maggie wraps herself in silk and little Finn draws on the walls and thinks he’s the king of the wild things. Together they watch a mobile phone intensely, willing it to come to life. Whose call are they waiting for and why are they home alone?

Both funny and heartbreaking, Tusk Tusk is a tale of family ties as an uncertain future circles.

Tusk Tusk is only the second play by playwright Polly Stenham, who, at 21, became the youngest playwright in four decades to have a play staged in the West End, her first play That Face, which premiered at the Royal Court and transferred to the Duke of York’s. Along the way, Stenham picked up several awards, including the Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright.

Like That Face, Tusk Tusk is directed by Jeremy Herrin, whose other productions include The Vertical Hour at the Royal Court and The Family Reunion at the Donmar Warehouse.

For more about Tusk Tusk at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, read the First Night Feature.