Press for this production

‘There’s magic at work under the realistic shell, and Lukyana’s developing acceptance is beautifully traced by Sofia Natoli.

Folk tales have a peculiar resonance… this excellent company makes it work. It’s a very worthy recognition of Ukrainian fortitude and resilience, and a good metaphor for the motive power behind their resistance. Their country matters to them. The play has ended, but it amply repays a trip to the Brockley Jack should it get another run.’ ★★★★ London Pub Theatres

‘The timing for this run of London-based Ukranian playwright Polina Polozhentseva’s play is apt – coming as we mark the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine…

The staging is very simple but very effective because of it with subtle lighting from designer Abbie Sage… Director Valery Reva does an excellent job in drawing us into this isolated little corner of Ukraine – creating memorable images with simple ideas, notably a bowl of flour makes an impact both in disturbing the rather blank canvas of the set and also giving us a visible account of an intimate scene that takes place in blackout… The three actors are all very well cast and convince as their characters… all give confident and natural performances…Whilst the conflict does feel ever-present in the background, this play is not so much a comment on the war as it is about the importance of belonging to and caring for your community.’ ★★★★ Theatre and Tonic

‘While Polozhentseva’s script leans into the story’s fabulist side, one can see the morality behind the metaphor. Communities such as this Ukrainian village survive only through personal sacrifice…. And if one village can hold on, then maybe, just maybe, the country can too.’ ★★★★ Reviews Hub

‘Through a small-scale, self-contained story, it reminds us of the many different human costs of war… The three performances work well together, with an ease that suits the intimacy of the space…What lingers is the central question: in difficult times, what do we owe to where we come from? And how much are we allowed to choose ourselves? What decisions do we make in the heat of the moment, and do those change upon further reflection? The play doesn’t answer. It simply leaves the choice sitting there. ’ ★★★★ Salterton Arts Review

‘the performances hold one’s attention perfectly. A short stay on the Studio stage but one worth having taken a chance on.’ ★★★★ Reviewsgate

‘This is magic realism in its truest form; the supernatural lurks in every line, but never dominates. Instead, what comes out in the tale of Lukyana’s adjustment to her new reality is a conflict between self-protection and sacrifice, between duty towards one’s homeland and personal freedoms… this play is a tightly written chronicle of how war can make and unmake societies and the individuals who live in them.’ ★★★★ Broadway World

NOMINATED for a STANDING OVATION AWARD from London Pub Theatres.