Set in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, it focuses on a family of actors trying to stage a play about the siege at ancient Masada to inspire hope and optimism within the Jewish community.

[1] "Professor David Roskies of the Jewish Theological Seminary has written that a little known poem, Masada, by Isaac Lamdan 'more than any other text inspired the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto'".

He took the music that he had written for the subject to television writer Berenbeim, who resisted the idea, particularly the mass suicide ending of the historical story.

Directed by Timothy Sheader, with choreography by Liam Steel, the cast featured Peter Polycarpou and Leila Benn Harris.

[1][3] The filmed version of the West End production aired throughout 2010 on PBS stations in over 40 markets in the United States, as part of their pledge drives and regular programming.

It was broadcast with a panel discussion moderated by Neal Gabler, which included director Timothy Sheader, cast members Peter Polycarpou, Sarah Ingram and Roy Litvin, and Holocaust scholar Thane Rosenbaum.

When the play draws to a close, the Masada landscape is lowered to reveal graffiti written by the actors warning the Jews not to board the train.

(The Warsaw character names are followed by the Masada character names in brackets) In spite of several four-star reviews, including the Sunday Telegraph ("A Triumph" "I adore this show" "4-stars"), the London Paper ("A mesmerising journey"), London Lite ("Bursting with drama" - 4 stars), Spoonfed.co.uk ("It must be rated a triumph"), The West End Whingers ("We were humming the tunes the next day.

Extraordinary") and others, the musical closed after two weeks of previews and a month of regular performances upon receiving generally poor reviews from the mainstream British critics, with "many papers attacking it for trivializing the Holocaust".