Holly Spanner reviews Pink Mist at the West Yorkshire Playhouse…
Droplets of blood linger for a moment in the air, held in suspension as a pale red cloud surrounding a body hit by ammunition. A friend has just been vapourised. A harrowing image, but one that stays with a soldier long after the mist has dissipated, for the effects of war are not limited to time on the battlefield.
Following two successful runs in Bristol, the play was commissioned by the Bristol Old Vic and has arrived at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, the last stop on a critically acclaimed national tour.
Taking inspiration from interviews with 30 returned serviceman, writer Owen Sheers uses dramatic verse in a vivid and gut-wrenching account of the realities of the Afghanistan war. Narrated in the main by lead character Arthur, the play follows the lives of three school friends, Arthur (Dan Krikler), Taff (Peter Edwards) and Hads (Alex Stedman). Restless and unable to settle with civilian life, the young men sign up to the army for the promise of excitement, adventure and belonging, but also to make a difference.
Despite the largely bare staging, the images recounted are vivid; such is the power of the intense script. Subtle, but powerful direction from John Retallack and George Mann serves as a brutal reminder that it’s not only the soldiers who go to war, but their families too. A mother, unable to recognize her son save for his tattoo, a girlfriend unable to move on, and another, panic stricken as she wakes up to a hand round her throat.
Synchronized choreography forcefully enhances the rhythm of Sheers’ verse. The cast of six use movement that flows with the lyrical verses, so that when the movements are repeated, words are no longer needed.
Jon Nicholls sound design provides a dramatic soundscape, from the muffled bass thudding in a nightclub, to military vehicles rolling out of a compound and fading wind on Dundry Hill. Abstract images, that make perfect sense, are projected onto a screen at the back of the stage and suggestive lighting by Peter Harrison leaves the audience in no doubt as to the scene in front of them.
In the army, a bond and respect is shared like no other. Even after death, the bond remains. At the military morgue, Rose Cottage, two Staff Sergeants remain by the side of a dead soldier, so their final journey will not be one made alone. Details like this, so specific in the text, are peppered throughout the play, providing a glimpse into their loyalty, and realities of the sacrifices made.
Pink Mist is a timeless, insightful and very significant play. It is one that everyone should see at least once.
Runs at the West Yorkshire Playhouse until 1 April 2017
Image: Mark Douet
Metatags: Pink Mist, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, Yorkshire, review, theatre, Owen Sheers, John Retallack, George Mann, Bristol Old Vic, Dan Krikler, Peter Edwards, Alex Stedman,