This week Linnea Berthelsen’s one-woman play, Darkling, officially opened at the Bush Theatre. Focusing on the Bhopal disaster of 1984, which is widely considered the world’s worst industrial disaster, the show follows the life of Berthelsen’s ‘She’ from birth through to Bhopal and its aftermath. Through staging, language, lighting and Berthelsen’s intensely committed performance, the show is masterclass in atmospheric worldbuilding, but I could not help but feel that the predetermined nature of the disaster drained some of its dramatic weight.
In December 1984, a major gas leak occurred at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant, contaminating the surrounding area and population. As well as its immediate effects on the local people, subsequent generations were also affected. The death toll was so large that it has never been officially recorded. The creatives behind the show sought to raise awareness of ecological disasters, the larger companies that are complicit in them, and to humanise the statistics.
In the latter, the show broadly succeeds, as the audience were hooked on Berthelsen’s every word. Using her physicality and voice to communicate the changing age of her character, as well as those surrounding her, she manages to convey a plethora of emotions and is incredibly believable in her performance. Titas Halder’s poetic and evocative text beautifully conjures images of India, and paired with Rajiv Pattani’s lighting and Beth Duke’s sound, the show really is a lesson in visual worldbuilding. Simon Kenny’s simple stage is surrounded by earth, and when Berthelsen interacts with it, it hangs in the air – a reference to India’s pollution and the pollution that is later to descend upon the people of Bhopal. Halder weaves in a sense of foreboding throughout, undercutting the coming-of-age tale.
Speaking of the bildungsroman element, the play lingers on this for far too long, and when the inevitable leak happens, Halder speeds through it. Although, as mentioned, sound, lighting, and Berthelsen herself do well to communicate the horror of the situation, there is only so much a monologue can convey. It is also undercut by the fact that, those who are familiar with Bhopal, like myself, know what is going to happen, and can predict certain plot points from this point forward.
And while Berthelsen is brilliant and rises to this demanding challenge, I could not help but wonder why this story needs to be told through this character’s eyes. I did some digging, and in some behind-the-scenes content the creatives hail the show as unique because it is told through the perspective of one woman, who we follow from birth, thus humanising the disaster. While I understand this theory, there are plenty of first-hand accounts out there, which I personally found more impactful because they are true. I cannot say that the show produced any new ideas, only raising awareness of the disaster, which is the reason that this character exists, rather than the other way around. The play never seemed to answer why it was imperative that this show exists, and why we need to see it through this particular character’s eyes.
Darkling is an atmospheric production with an impressive central performance, however its fundamental artistic choice raises more questions than the play can answer.
3/5
Thanks for reading!
Playing at the Bush until October 24th. Following this run, Darkling will be embarking on a UK tour.
Tickets available here: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/darkling/#book
Photography by Alex Brenner
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