Old Vic Theatre
London's West End
30/10/05

by Laura

Night Sky is described as "a tale of love, lies and cockroaches". A new play by Rachel Wagstaff, it was due to be performed in order to raise funds for Index On Censorship magazine, which raises issues about freedom of expression. I was really looking forward to seeing Bruno make his West End debut in a one-off rehearsed play reading of the play and so I was incredibly disappointed to learn a few weeks ago that it had been "indefinitely postponed". I still hoped that it would be put on at some stage though, and so I was excited to suddenly hear that it had been revived and would be taking place on the same date, but this time with Christopher Eccleston taking over at the helm. I was so excited for Bruno as he would be getting the opportunity to work with Christopher once more- from what Bruno has said, it sounds like he had a great time working with him on Doctor Who, and has a great respect for him as an actor.

After a lot of confusion about the tickets, whereby we kept being told different things about when they were going on sale, I finally managed to buy tickets for myself and Strawbs, and was really looking forward to seeing Bruno on stage again, having already seen him in Romeo & Juliet in the summer.

The days leading up to October 30th seemed to fly by, and I couldn't believe it when the day finally arrived. I was due to be meeting Strawbs outside the theatre at 3pm, as we wanted to get down there early in case we got the opportunity to see Bruno beforehand. Strawbs, however, ended up being 2 hours late as she, ahem, got ever so slightly lost! Once she had arrived though, we made our way to the stage door. We were there for about 45 minutes when David Baddiel walked out. Shortly after this, Christopher Eccleston appeared! Seeing the two of us stood there, he said hello to both of us and smiled. I thought that was really nice as he didn't know who we were and he could have just walked past without saying anything (like David Baddiel), but he took the time to acknowledge us. At this point, we began to wonder whether the entire cast were already inside, especially when we saw Navin Chowdhry leave the stage door too! We decided to pluck up courage and ask Christopher when he came back whether Bruno was in there, and I was planning on asking him to sign my Doctor Who Shooting Scripts book but, as luck would have it, when he came back, he was carrying two cups of coffee, one in each hand, so I couldn't get my book signed and we didn't ask him about Bruno either! Once again, he acknowledged both of us and said hello. Navin and David also came back. Then Christopher came back out of the stage door with David Warner and stood having a chat with each other. This was when I spotted somebody very familiar walking down the road- Bruno! So we hadn't missed him after all. But, as luck would have it, it was pretty dark and we were kind of hidden in the shadows and Bruno was walking with his head down (in his own little world!) so, although we saw him, he didn't see us, agh!!! He stood at the stage door with Christopher, David, and another guy for a while but, try as Strawbs might, she just couldn't catch his eye! And we didn't like to shout after him with other people stood there! So, a bit of a wasted opportunity, but at least we got to say hello to Christopher!

After this, we moved away from the stage door and went inside the theatre. The Old Vic is often described as "the actors theatre", apparently being the one theatre where all actors inspire to perform at. It's a lovely little theatre- very intimate and full of character. We went and bought some program's, and it was a nice surprise to see that the entire script of Night Sky was printed inside! Skimming through it, we were pleased to see that Bruno's character Ali had rather a lot to say, and had some great lines to say as well.

We were soon allowed to take our seats inside the auditorium and were shocked to realise that, even though we were on row F, that was actually the 3rd row from the front! So we had an amazing view!

Just before the play started, we were pleased to see that the theatre was completely packed out, with only a few empty seats here and there. I was particularly impressed that it had sold so well as I don't think it was very well advertised.

Soon the lights dimmed and Ursula, editor of Index on Censorship magazine came on stage to say a few words about the magazine and what the fundraiser is all about, as well as thanking the cast and crew for helping to support their cause.

Once Ursula had left the stage, some rather eery music started up.

Night Sky tells the story of Ali (Bruno), Natasha (Saffron), George (David Baddiel) and John (David Warner), who have been imprisoned under a tough and horrendous regime. Censor (Navin) represents this regime whilst Captain Tom (Christopher Eccleston) is supposed to be a soldier for the regime but actually sympathises with the prisoners and helps them escape to another area whilst trying to help them escape from the prison entirely.

Bruno, Saffron Burrows, and Navin Chowdhry appeared on stage. They were each dressed entirely in black (Bruno in a black t shirt and black trousers!), and Bruno was barefoot, which I thought added a nice touch of realism to the play. As this was a rehearsed play reading, all cast members had their scripts in hand for the entire performance although it became obvious throughout the reading that they had each actually bothered to learn their lines and so, although they were still reading from the script, it was clear that they were already familiar with their lines and so this made it seem more natural somehow.

Bruno was stood to the right of the stage (annoyingly, we were sat on the left hand side! Although Bruno did go and stand for a short while on 'our' side of the stage, and even looked straight at us once or twice too!), Navin was in the middle, and Saffron was on the left. Bruno had the first paragraph to say, which he delivered perfectly, with compassion and conviction. It was immediately clear from the words Bruno was saying that this was immensely powerful thought-provoking stuff.

Bruno continued to impress in the next scene as Censor goaded Ali- Bruno's cry of, "you tried to kill me!" was particularly impressive as he put his heart and soul into his performance.

Shortly after this, there was a rather heart stopping moment as the stage went black with sounds of explosions being heard, and cries from Bruno and Saffron. Christopher Eccleston then ran on to help them escape- he grabbed Bruno and there was a bit of a struggle before he pulled him off the stage.

In the next scene, we see David Baddiel and David Warner sitting on some boxes, whilst the other three come back on stage. It is clear that this is a hideout in a different part of the prison where Captain Tom is trying to keep the prisoners safe and from harm. I thought that David Baddiel was particularly impressive as George- he had all the best comedy lines and had the audience in hysterics!

During this scene, I thought that Bruno portrayed the fact that Ali was supposed to be weak and malnourished particularly well, as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Christopher laid a blanket over his legs as Bruno asked, "am I dead?" Following this, there was a rather touching scene between Saffron and Bruno- it was obvious that their characters are incredibly close. Natasha seems to be a sister/mother figure to Ali. It was especially sweet seeing Saffron stroking Bruno's face, and then Bruno resting his head against her legs as he drifted off to sleep. Shortly after this, he woke up and then lay down on the floor and drifted back off to sleep there. One of the highlights of the play for me happened soon afterwards, with Bruno crying, "no....no!" Ali was obviously having some kind of nightmare, and I thought that Bruno was incredibly impressive as he portrayed the fear and horror that Ali was reliving in his sleep.

As the play progressed, so did the characters and we began to find out more about their backgrounds...

Ali- described in the program as being aged 20, of a slight frame, "like a small bird". A bit of a dreamer- wants to write films with Natasha in the starring role. Has a mother and two brothers. They're starving to death. Was found badly beaten by Natasha, after he tried to cross the border in order to get food for his family. Natasha took him under her wing.

Natasha- in her 20s, quietly beautiful. Was captured after taking Ali in. George takes a shine to her and looks like he's going to rape her until Captain Tom steps in.

Censor- self assured. Part of the evil and barbaric regime. Provides a narrative throughout the play.

Captain Tom- in his 30s, powerful, a sense of stillness. Is supposed to be part of the regime but tries to help the prisoners escape, although it is intentionally unclear whether he really is on their side or not.

George- in his 30s to 40s, a strong man, compelling. Has been imprisoned for 1384 days.

John- in his 50s to 60s, the air of a survivor. Is Captain Tom's father. John's wife and child had been killed by the regime and that John had mistakenly believed that Captain Tom had killed them (in a great flashback sequence, performed to perfection by Christopher, we saw that he hadn't been able to kill them).

Each character was totally and utterly believeable, although I especially liked the twist with Captain Tom being John's son. I also found Bruno's character Ali to be very sweet and played with a sense of vulnerability from Bruno.

Although Bruno was playing a dramatic character, there was a bit of a comedy moment during a scene where they are discussing memories. Ali remembered a family picnic, where his brothers were trying to push each other in but, in the end, ganged up on him instead. This little scenario was ended by Bruno saying, "it was pretty funny", in a hilarious deadpan way, which had the audience in hysterics!

After that little comic interlude, however, it was on with the drama as Captain Tom, John, Ali, and Natasha decided to make a run for it. George decided to stay behind, perhaps imprisoned for another 1384 days. As George gives a final speech, the light fades on him, and opens up on Ali, who gives his final speech. It is clear that Ali is dead, killed trying to escape. Bruno speaks with passion and from the heart as Ali says one last soliloquy, before darkness descends onto the stage. There is silence and then a sudden burst of rapturous applause from the very appreciative audience, as the cast return to the stage to take their bow's- Bruno quickly dashes off stage to discard of his script, before running back on to join his co star's (even briefly stumbling over a box on the way!). They take their bow's and then leave the stage, triumphant after a truly wonderful evening.

Night Sky was a thoroughly enjoyable play, full of inspiration and wit. Rachel Wagstaff's captivating words were further enhanced by the captivating performances from the cast, who I couldn't really fault. They worked wonderfully together as a cast, and each added a certain special something to their characters. I am not biased (!!), but I really did enjoy Bruno's character Ali the most. I found his speeches and comments to be the most inspiring of the evening, and Bruno put in an enchanting performance. I thought that it was he, in particular, who really stood out; he put a lot of passion into his performance, and you really believed in every single word he was saying. Considering that he was the least experienced performer there, you really couldn't tell (even when he stumbled over one word, he recovered well. Christopher stumbled over some words too and also recovered well). I think Bruno is definitely one to look out for in the future- he's going to go far!

The majority of Bruno's scenes were with Saffron Burrows, and I thought they worked well together. You really did feel that Ali and Natasha had a very close relationship, and I think it came across that Bruno and Saffron probably got on very well in real life too. I found their scenes together to be very sweet and touching. Saffron is stunningly beautiful and gave a brilliant performance.

David Baddiel was fantastic as George, giving a very funny performance as he brought Rachel's witty one liners to life. However, he also came across as rather menacing in certain scenes- like when he was trying it on with Natasha, for example.

Christopher Eccleston and David Warner were also fantastic, and it was great seeing Christopher and Bruno, in particular, sharing a stage again, as I thought they worked so well together in Doctor Who. I'd like to think that Christopher is a bit of a mentor to Bruno. They shared quite a few scenes and also worked well together- it was a real treat seeing Christopher storming on stage and dragging Bruno off!!

Overall, this was a play well worth seeing, with strong writing, strong direction, and strong performances from the cast. I was so proud watching Bruno making his West End debut, and in such esteemed company too. Theatre really suits him and so I hope that he will do some more stage work in the very near future.

And now, for the final word, I'm going to pass you over to Ali, and the closing lines of the play...

"A boy, trying to run, but he's slowing them down. In the films in my head, if you love someone, you put their life before yours. He stumbles, as if he's been shot. He shouts at them to leave him, as he feels himself falling. Dissolve to a moment from his childhood. A small boy crossing a river, leaping from stone to stone. Sunlight dancing off the waters. The boy who would become the prisoner is watching sticks floating downstream. His mother is standing beside him, not holding his hand. The camera pans across and I can see my little brothers, pushing each other into the river. They're waving at me and they're laughing. I try to wave back, but the image dissolves.....crossfade to the prisoner again, and as he falls, he can see the others; they're running, hand in hand, they're running as they will run forever. I'm still trying to wave but everything goes dark, and as I hit the ground, the lights fade to black. And I'm free. And it's beautiful now, and I float upwards, I'm soaring, into the night sky."

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