Darkling at Bush Theatre

Darkling is a dark and captivating one-woman play written by Titas Halder and performed by Linnea Berthelsen. It follows a young girl who grows up in Bhopal, India, living in poverty alongside her father and sister. Despite that, surrounded by nature’s simplicity and the familiar faces of her neighbours, she is content and happy. With the arrival of a factory, the land around her shifts, and she starts to want more from her life too – driven by the growing distance between her and her sister, and a budding romance with a boy from town.

The script is laden with sensory language, particularly in its long descriptions of nature, right from the very start. This immediately immerses the audience in her world, and the beauty she sees in it, despite her family’s financial standing. It’s also an important contrasting technique that emphasises the juxtaposition between this vibrant, lush world she grows up in and the dull, horrific scenes of her later life – a consequence of forced industrialisation by the Americans. This descriptive narration is enhanced by the lighting, which perfectly captures the tone and emotions needed in every stage of her life.

Berthelsen is fantastic in her role, achieving the right balance of youthful innocence and mischief as a child and her aged hopelessness in her later years, especially after the tragedy that strikes her – the gas leak that destroys her hometown. Her voices for the other characters are impactful, especially that of the girl’s father. The way she performs the interplay between the two characters is one of the most disarming parts of the piece, with her initial disdain for his strictness and lack of motivation culminating in their last moments together: a powerful scene in which he sees her one last time and reminds her that despite all the harsh words he has once said before, he loves her nonetheless.

This familial dynamic adds emotional stakes to themes of foreign industrialisation and its effect on local communities in poverty-stricken regions. There’s a fantasy being sold, of work and a brighter future ahead for the local people by these Western countries building these factories. But negligence and disregard for the people living in these places result in their destruction and abandonment. Anger seeps into every word Berthelsen says, and her facial expressions cuttingly depict the deep anguish felt by her character.

While commentary on nature and industrialisation is an important aspect of Darkling, family is the heart of the play. It’s not just in the girl’s relationship with her father and her sibling, but in her longing for a child and her inability to give birth to a healthy one. It’s the emotional core that keeps the production alive; they may not know her name, but they’ll feel her pain and the weight of her loss. Darkling is a show that leaves plenty for viewers to ruminate on, especially as the world continues to spiral into the climate crisis and communities continue to be destroyed by capitalistic greed.

Mae Trumata
Photos: Alex Brenner

Darkling is at Bush Theatre from 5^th September until 24^th October 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.

Watch the trailer for Darkling at Bush Theatre here: