The Bhopal disaster in Bhopal India in 1984 is the world’s worst industrial accident, even worse than Chernobyl, so why is it that the latter is so well-known whilst hardly anybody, even many South Asians, even know about the former?
Why do you think?
Whilst Darkling is a brand-new production, which premiered at the Bush Theatre in London and is now ending its short UK tour at HOME in Manchester, Titas Halder actually wrote it “in rage and injustice” 20 years ago in response to the National Theatre asking him to “write a South Asian play” and then reading a newspaper article about the seldom-spoken-about Bhopal disaster.
Whilst that rage comes through, the script is also very beautiful, hauntingly beautiful, by virtue of being, essentially, a long poem in free verse. It follows an unnamed girl, later woman, before, during and after the disaster. Like a collection of diary entries, we get to know the protagonist over the years; we literally see her grow up, establishing a real connection with the character.
The 90-minute play could benefit from some tightening and streamlining before the ecological disaster; it takes awhile to get to the main event, which I found a little strange and tiresome at first. However, I soon realised the intent: by the time tragedy strikes, we feel like we have gotten to know this person entirely, and now we are seeing her whole life ripped apart. It’s an incredibly cruel narrative device – especially because the earlier half of the play had been filled with so much joy and humour, the young girl making the most of her life in the slums, and not even realising how bad she had it until she saw how the other half lived in the city – which works exactly as Halder intended, reducing me to tears.
The text explores lots of topics and themes, from corporate colonialism and profit over safety to the caste system, but some of them, especially the latter, are a little underdeveloped and could be better explained to audiences who are not South Asian. There also could have been a more comprehensive description of the sweeping scale of the gas leak, which felt a little rushed and insufficiently grounded given the massive scale of the tragedy, but I appreciate that the focus is very much on the protagonist and her experience of the events, which allows the audience to step into her shoes and put themselves in the situation.
Matthew Xia has directed this production with authenticity and love. Whilst Simon Kenny’s set is ostensibly simple, there are so many hidden details and excellent attention to detail. Whilst there are no set pieces, and no video designs in place of set, Rajiv Pattani’s layered lighting works in tandem with Halder’s rich text to transport the audience from place to place. From a warm home in the slums to the city, with its cleaner air, and, eventually, the gas leak, Pattani captures every single setting and creates a visceral world.
Whilst one might expect a stereotypically South Asian score, Niraj Chag has strayed away from expectations with his synth-based soundscape and cool compositions, which mix Indian classical influences with contemporary stylings and layered, complex beats.
The empty stage can begin to feel a bit repetitive once the world is established. I do wonder if some more dynamic design elements, such as video designs, would make for a more rich theatrical experience, but the lack of spectacle forces the audience to be fixed on the performer – and it also forces the performer to be completely captivating at all times.
Fortunately, Stranger Things‘ Linnea Berthelsen is absolutely mesmerising as “she”. She wonderfully characterises the protagonist over the years, even making for a believable young child with her big, bright eyes, which are soon broken and drained when the cruel world corrupts her and strips her of her innocence. A lesser performer would have struggled to maintain the momentum but Berthelsen, in her stage debut, demands complete attention from every single person in the audience.
With its lack of much set, movement becomes incredibly important, with movement director Anjali Mehra expecting a lot from Berthelsen, using every inch of the room to bring it to life, ensuring she is never lost in the auditorium – but also to help capture the characterisation of the protagonist who begins as an energetic child and ends as an adult who is physically, mentally and emotionally broken.
Friday’s performance was followed by a post-show Q&A with Associate Director, Sara Aniqah Malik and performer, Linnea Berthelsen, facilitated by HOME’s Studio Programmer, Saffron Rain. The panel discussed the themes of the show, the process of creating such a challenging piece of work, and some of the history the narrative is rooted in, as well as how we can get more stories like this onstage.
I absolutely love the brave, bold programming at HOME, and after the event, I told Berthelsen and her partner that whilst the traditional theatre (Theatre 1) is more commercial, having this studio space (Theatre 2) allows the programming team to take more risks and showcase stories which are not often shown.
During the panel discussion, I said that it was especially refreshing to see a South Asian production which is not a romanticised, all-singing, all-dancing, Bollywood production, which, whilst very much a celebration of being South Asian, feels a bit stereotypical and reductive.
Darkling, in contrast, is much more real and raw – not only because it is based on historical events but also because it portrays South Asians as real, nuanced, multifaceted people. But it also refrains from falling into the oppressed, victim narrative, especially because, as aforementioned, the protagonist makes the absolute most of her slum life – until even that is ripped away from her because of corporate greed, cost-cutting measures, and “collateral damage”, in which racism and colourism were so profound that peoples’ lives were considered worth sacrificing.
Darkling is beautifully designed, deeply human, and utterly devastating.
Darkling runs at HOME (Theatre 2) until November 14.
