Pink Mist review at Bristol Old Vic

Posted on: 2016-02-18

Our rating:

I have to say this was quite honestly the most intense evening I have ever spent in a theatre....This is a moving account of the consequences of war, made all the more poignant when you realise the depth of research Owen Sheers did....


 

“Who wants to play war?” That was the thought provoking question echoing throughout Bristol’s Old Vic last night as Pink Mist, Owen Sheers’ beautifully written yet hard hitting play returned to the theatre - where it premiered in summer 2015 - following a successful London run.

Having originally been written as a radio play, Pink Mist is a verse drama with a local flavour. It tells the story of 3 lifelong Bristol friends, who decide to take their games of war from the school playground to the next level by enlisting in the army. Buoyed up by ideas of honour, camaraderie, the glory of fighting for their country and a cause they believe in, they find themselves shipped out to Afghanistan and into the reality of a daily battle for survival which is nothing like their schoolboy fantasies of war.

**Purchase Tickets for Pink Mist here**

Pink Mist at Bristol Old Vic until 5 March 2016

This play does not set out to glamorise war, but honestly and succinctly explores the sometimes overwhelming physical and psychological effects of conflict on the armed forces as well as the impact it has on the families they leave behind; the wives, girlfriends and mothers who ultimately have to pick up the pieces.

Enacted in monologue form with each of the soldiers narrating his own heart-wrenching tale, this is an emotionally charged story, telling of the brutality of war and it’s capacity to change the very essence of people’s being. Having taken it’s name from army slang describing bodies exploding in action, Pink Mist is an epic account of modern soldiering. Within the narrative Sheers perfectly conveys the sense of disconnection from modern society and the feelings of hopelessness that lead young men to sign up, as well as documenting the horrifying way war consumes them.

Pink Mist

Photo Credit : Mark Douet

The saga unfolds on a stripped back stage, with a large screen background onto which lights and images are projected and set with just a bench and wheelchair. The play is arranged so that Phil Dunster, as Arthur carries much of the narrative responsibility, a soldier looking back with great clarity, with the benefit of hindsight on events as they evolved. He does an outstanding job, giving a powerful performance as the vulnerable young boy who heads off to the Afghan war to become a man only to find his experiences there tear apart the person he has become.

Indeed the whole cast - Alex Stedman, Peter Edwards, Rebecca Hamilton, Rebecca Killick and Zara Ramm- are excellent, in what is very much an ensemble piece. They work together to create scene after scene; light hearted dancing in a Bristol club one minute, an explosion in the Afghan desert the next, as the story moves back and forward through the lives of the young soldiers and their loved ones. Utilising music, lighting and beautifully choreographed movement throughout the performance directors John Retallack and George Mann manage to highlight the power of Sheers’ evocative text and are able to elicit stunning, authentic performances from their cast.

I have to say this was quite honestly the most intense evening I have ever spent in a theatre. Not easy viewing, this often shocking and emotional play left me reassessing my own thoughts and beliefs regarding conflict and the military. This is a moving account of the consequences of war, made all the more poignant when you realise the depth of research Owen Sheers did prior to writing the play; these are the stories of real people.

Running at Bristol Old Vic until 5th March, this is a must see production.

5/5

Reviewed by Sarah-Jane Howard for The Bristol Website!

Pink Mist video trailer below :

 



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.