Donbas at Theatre503 Review
Written by Becky K for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Winner of the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, Olga Braga brings her kitchen-sink drama, Donbas, to Theatre503’s studio. Set in the Donbas region in the build up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Braga’s unsettling yet darkly humorous debut focuses on home conflicts while mirroring the wider tensions of the location that’s on the brink of war.
The set and lighting design by Niall McKeever and Christopher Nairne effectively transports you to the bleak living situation in Donbas. A derelict kitchen dominates the stage; walls patched up with masking tape, a hole in the roof letting snow fall through, and fixtures that look barely held together. Cold lighting floods the space, stripping the sense of comfort, with the only warmth provided by single, naked lightbulbs hanging precariously by tape. Together, these details give a clear impression of poor living conditions, presenting poverty as the direct result of oppression.
Braga’s narrative follows the lives of people in two domestic settings: a cramped family home and an abandoned house nearby. The play opens with Russian soldiers Alexei (Jack Bandeira) and Dmitry (Philippe Spall), who watch carefully on the Ukrainian townsfolk. Their contrasting experience and attitude towards war explores laughter in the face of being confronted by the violent horrors of conflict, especially that which is still on-going in a real-life context.
Meanwhile, in the family home, Sashko (Bandeira) returns from Russian imprisonment, clashing with his father Seryoga (Spall) on how they dream to move forward. Sashko wants to prepare and fight for freedom, while Seryoga simply wants to blend in with the new way in order to survive.
Director Anthony Simon-Pike does well at interweaving all the narrative voices, using the overarching theme of hope and survival to tie them all together. Alongside Sashko and Seryoga, Marianca (Sasha Syzonenko) hopes of reuniting with her son, Nadya (Ksenia Devriendt) resorts to Cossack storytelling to make sense of how the world is now, while Vera (Liz Kettle) and Ivan (Steve Watts) desperately try to uphold traditional appearances. Their hope all comes together in Pike’s striking ending, where the whole cast unifies in singing traditional Cossack song as the war begins to break out on Donbas.
Humour is dusted throughout the storyline to carefully balance the tone of the play. A good example includes the flirtatious relationship between Vera and Ivan, where they share a chocolate bar in the snow and joke about how the chemicals in her ‘ravish-me-red’ lipstick will be more harmful to Ivan than the guns and bombs that are coming for them. Braga’s dark humour in the script adds a much-needed respite in what becomes an increasingly sad storyline.
Braga’s play masterfully weaves dark humour and a nuanced exploration of conflict and home politics to deliver a poignant comment on the state of our world.
Donbas is showing at Theatre503 until March 7th.
★★★★
