Owen Sheers’ critically acclaimed poetic war drama Pink Mist will play at the Bush Theatre in January following its triumphant run at Bristol Old Vic this summer.
Created as the result of extensive interviews with 30 servicemen about their experiences, director John Retallack’s production combines The Two Worlds Of Charlie F playwright Sheers’ “haunted verse” with dynamic movement to bring home the often gruelling realities of returning to ordinary life after facing the realities of war.
Centring on three young Bristol men deployed to Afghanistan, Pink Mist tells the story of what happens when they face their greatest battle yet; coming home to the women in their lives who must now share the physical and psychological aftershocks of their service.
Speaking about its London premiere, Bristol Old Vic’s Executive Producer Chloe Elwood said: “It’s a real honour to have been invited to bring Pink Mist to the Bush for 2016. It’s a regional story with a universal impact which we hope Bush audiences will take to their hearts too.”
The show premiered at the Bristol theatre in July, with the Guardian among many publications to praise its combination of verse and “Frantic Assembly and Gecko style” movement, concluding in its four star review: “There are times when the density of the experience makes it hard to endure, but like Sheers’ verse it develops its own rhythm and the physical comes to rest in a still, haunted silence. Heartbreaking.”
Pink Mist will play at the Shepherd’s Bush new writing theatre from 21 January to 13 February, joining its autumn/winter season that also includes current climate change comedy F*ck The Polar Bears and the European premiere of Tom Holloway’s forthcoming drama Forget Me Not.
The season will also see a number of one-off events including the just announced evening of performance, Papergang Theatre’s Echo, on 20 October. Featuring a mix of performance, poetry and music, a group of artists will share stories and personal anecdotes designed to “awaken, connect and inspire”.