• Review For Us
    • In London or across the UK
    • at Edinburgh Fringe
  • List Your Show
  • Advertising
  • Musicals
  • Plays
  • Ballet & Dance
  • Previews
  • First Look
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews

Review: You Stupid Darkness at Southwark Playhouse

by Greg Stewart
January 20, 2020
Reading Time: 4 mins read
You Stupid Darkness Southwark Playhouse Review

You Stupid Darkness Southwark Playhouse Review

Life goes on as the world outside burns.  It’s a particularly pertinent sentiment in the current climate, and Sam Steiner’s You Stupid Darkness!, a co-production between Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth, captures it in the most nuanced and touching way.  The production ran in Plymouth early last year, and now transfers to Southwark Playhouse under the direction of James Grieve.

Every Tuesday night, four disparate souls’ man the phones at ‘Brightline’, a Samaritans style set-up designed to help people who are concerned about what’s happening to the world.  What exactly is happening is never made clear, but the fact the call handlers all arrive each week wearing gas masks, and freak weather seems to wreak havoc in their office, gives us a pretty good idea.

But it’s not what’s happening outside that’s important, it’s the events inside the office that create the drama, tension and occasional laughs.  You Stupid Darkness! Wonderfully captures the human spirit, the kind that learns to adapt and carry on.  When kettles are no longer available, or electricity puts the lights out, everyone finds another way of doing what they always did before.

       

What does change is their state of mind, and slowly but surely Steiner builds the complex nature of each character’s hopes and fears, and it’s absolutely enthralling.  We know these four characters have loved one’s in the outside world, but on a Tuesday night they become a kind of family, holding each other together, even if they are falling apart inside.

The eternally optimistic Frances (Jenni Maitland) would be the mother figure of this family, and not just because she’s seven months pregnant (something that in itself is now quite unusual, we learn).  She is some kind of supervisor, and takes all the others under her wing, despite clearly having problems of her own to contend with.

You mightalso like

Some of the cast of Maiden Voyage images supplied by publicist

Full Cast Announced for World Première of Maiden Voyage at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Claire Simpson (Image credit Nicola Young)

Claire Simpson Appointed Executive Director of Paines Plough

Joey (Andrew Finnigan) is new to the team, and struggles at first to get to grips with the correct protocols, but learns from Jon (Andy Rush) and Angie (Lydia Larson).  Their interactions are told in vignettes, leaving aside any linear narrative in the traditional sense, as we dip in and out of the hours they spend together from week to week.

This cast work exceptionally well together, and you can see that they have built a bond as strong as the characters they play.  Andrew Finnigan and Lydia Larson in particular, through their moving performances demonstrate just how easily the impending doom can impregnate any safe haven.

Capture
 

Anyone who has ever worked in an office environment, big or small, will identify with the kind of mindless chatter that takes place between the actual work being done.  Steiner has not only captured that aspect perfectly, but interlaced with strongly compelling moments that grab hold of the audience’s attention until the stage is plunged in to darkness once more.

We are to presume that this is some kind of apocalyptic future, but Amy Jane Cook’s design very cleverly makes it feel like the recent past, with older style mobile phones and computers indicating progress has come to a halt, and like everything else in this world, people are just getting on with it, with whatever means they can.  The office, which is also crumbling around them, is decorated in inspirational quotes, which we can assume come from Frances, along with the ‘Word of The Week’ scrawled on the white board.

       

The first ‘Word of The Week’ that we see is ‘Perseverance’, and it is a word that almost sums up the whole of You Stupid Darkness! No matter what is happening, in the office, outside, or on the phone, the characters just persevere, and Steiner’s meticulously written play encourages its audience to stay with these characters, to become absorbed in their lives.

Lydia Larson and Andy Rush Credit Ali Wright
Lydia Larson and Andy Rush Credit Ali Wright
Lydia Larson Credit Ali Wright
Lydia Larson Credit Ali Wright
Andrew Finnigan Credit Ali Wright
Andrew Finnigan Credit Ali Wright
Andrew Finnigan Lydia Larson Andy Rush and Jenni Maitland Ali Wright
Andrew Finnigan Lydia Larson Andy Rush and Jenni Maitland Ali Wright
Jenni Maitland Ali Wright
Jenni Maitland Ali Wright
Lydia Larson Ali Wright
Lydia Larson Ali Wright
Greg Stewart

Greg Stewart

Greg is an award-winning writer with a huge passion for theatre. He has appeared on stage, as well as having directed several plays in his native Scotland. Greg is the founder and editor of Theatre Weekly

Related Articles

Some of the cast of Maiden Voyage images supplied by publicist
News

Full Cast Announced for World Première of Maiden Voyage at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Claire Simpson (Image credit Nicola Young)
News

Claire Simpson Appointed Executive Director of Paines Plough

The Forsyte Saga Image supplied by publicist
News

The Forsyte Saga Transfers to the RSC Following Acclaimed Park Theatre Run

The Frogs Dan Buckley and Kevin McHale Photo Pamela Raith
Reviews

Review: The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Comments 2

  1. Pingback: First Look: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Harold Pinter Theatre in Rehearsal - Theatre Weekly
  2. Pingback: Review: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Harold Pinter Theatre, London - Theatre Weekly

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Twitter Facebook Youtube Instagram

At Theatre Weekly we give theatre a new audience. You'll find our theatre news, theatre reviews and theatre interviews are written from an audience point of view. Our great value London theatre tickets will get you the best deal for your theatre tickets.
Theatre Weekly, 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
  • Join Our Community
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising

Recent News

Jess Edwards credit Madeleine Penfold

Interview: Jess Edwards on Elephant at Menier Chocolate Factory

Neal Wilkinson image supplied by publicist

Interview: Neal Wilkinson on Fight for America! at Stone Nest

© 2022 Theatre Weekly

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Tickets
  • Digital Theatre
  • News
    • News
    • West End
    • Off West End
    • Regional & Tours
    • Digital
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer

© 2022 Theatre Weekly