One-person plays are surely among theatre's greatest challenges. There is nowhere to hide, no fellow actor to play against and no one else to carry the energy. In Darkling Linnea Berthelsen, as She, does all of that single-handedly for 90 minutes.
Written by Titas Halder and directed by Matthew Xia, it is set against the backdrop of the Bhopal gas disaster and explores childhood innocence, social class, gender, family expectation, sexual violence, arranged marriage, love, loss and the devastating consequences of industrial neglect.
Berthelsen is outstanding. She moves effortlessly through different ages, memories and emotions, taking the audience from moments of humour and hope into scenes of genuine devastation. By the end, audience members were in tears and Berthelsen herself was visibly emotional.
Although this is a solo performance, the production never feels empty. Simon Kenny's set, Beth Duke's sound design and Rajiv Pattani's lighting effectively become Berthelsen's ensemble.
The Holloway Theatre is an ideal setting for a piece this intimate. Despite being the Bush Theatre's main house, it still feels close and immediate, drawing the audience into She's world and making the final moments feel even more personal.
The soil covering the stage creates an immediate connection to land, memory and childhood. Birdsong and blue lighting establish the beauty of She's early world and her “city of lakes”, while the skeletal image of the chemical factory gradually emerges as a giant presence over everything.
That giant initially represents progress and possibility. Young She even dreams of one day becoming its boss. But those dreams are replaced by the realities of poverty, gender inequality and a future already being decided for her.
The staging of the chemical leak is particularly effective. Smoke slowly seeps across the earth, turning something once associated with nature and innocence into something toxic and threatening. It is simple, but incredibly powerful.
What gives the piece its real weight is the knowledge that behind this deeply personal story sits a very real catastrophe. More than 40 years after Bhopal, communities are still living with its consequences.
It is difficult to watch at times, but impossible to look away.
Linnea Berthelsen gives everything to the role, and as the giant that once promised opportunity becomes the source of unimaginable devastation, Darkling leaves you with a story that is very hard to shake off.
It runs until 24 October.
Review: Kay Johal Photo: Alex Brenner