A bleak story that needs to be told
Photos: ‘Darkling’, the Bush Theatre
Daniel Nelson
The notice on the way to your seat says it all: “This show contains descriptions of death, pregnancy loss, stillbirth, sexual violence (including against children), references to suicide ideation, racism and classism, discussion of displacement, environmental contamination and mass death, and the depiction of bleeding, vomiting and drunkenness.”
What else would you expect from a play about “the world’s worst industrial accident”, the 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India, when toxic methyl isocyanate gas escaped and killed and injured well over half a million people.
In the words of the Bhopal Medical Appeal, “The consequences have continued across generations, with chronic illness, disability, poverty and ongoing exposure to contaminated water.
“Survivors and affected communities are also still fighting for justice, accountability and a proper clean-up of the contaminated site.
“We share the lessons learned in Bhopal to raise awareness of industrial pollution and help prevent similar disasters in the future.”
Writer Titus Halder tells the story through the mouth of one woman, She, played by Linnea Berthelsen, who puts herself and the audience through a 90-minute emotional wringer of harrowing intensity.
The story is not only of the accident, but covers her happiness as a young girl brought up by a widower, her love for her older sister, her eye-opening discovery of the wider world on a trip to town, her ambitions, missing out on school, stirrings of sexuality and young love, her sister’s loveless marriage and later her own, motherhood, the realisation that she will never leave the streets of her slum, the despairing turning against her ageing father.
Then the shattering, cataclysmic hammerblow of the disaster, against which the highs and lows, the small pleasures and the sadnesses of a life shrink and disappear.
It’s a horrifying story. and it’s brave of the Bush to stage such a bleak piece of theatre because I fear many people will not want to be confronted by it. But it’s a story that needs to be told and remembered, and lessons need to be learned and many victims need still to be helped.
Darkling, one-woman show exploring the impact of the 1984 Bhopal industrial disaster, £15 - £45, Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 24 October. Info: Bush
Forthcoming Bush productions include:
The Hungry Ghost, a sexy horror romcom exploring what takes root in the space between superstition and rationality, starring Mei Mac and Isabella Wei, 1 - 31 October
The Bridge, Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada returns in a tale of family and connection set against the brutal truth of the impacts of colonialism and the broken promises of the British in Palestine, 19 November - 23 December
Global Majority, Brian Tran is being interviewed. Succeed, and he could become the most powerful leader in the world, but as the interview tests become increasingly brutal, he is forced to confront what might happen if he fails, 25 November - 16 January
Ripples, an electrifying interrogation of Britain’s treatment of migrants, from debut writer Tafadzwa Muchenje, 21 January - 27 February
Insane Asylum Seekers, “At 27, my dad had escaped multiple bloodthirst dictatorships. I’m 27, and had a panic attack watching the final episode of ‘Succession’.” Funny and moving, 12 February - 20 March