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A play by the acclaimed Caryl Churchill, presented by the Out of the Blue production company at The Studio venue of York Theatre Royal; it follows friends and families through the troubled times before, during and after the 1989 revolution in Romania. In Act One we are presented with quick succession of scenes, almost sketches, which cuttingly convey the way of life (or existence) under the totalitarian regime of president Nicolae Ceausescu. Secrecy, distrust, frustration, repressive politics and corruption are portrayed not only through the acts of government workers and the security police (securitate) but also in the uneasy relationships between individuals and families. The tense atmosphere of crushing claustrophobia is manifest as we see personal and professional lives manipulated and cramped, friends ‘persuaded’ to inform the securitate of un-patriotic citizens and activities. All of this is bad enough, but there is also the additional misery shown in the lack of food and medical supplies. A little light relief comes in a scene of inebriated joke-swapping, but the humour here is dark, serving to illustrate further the hopelessness of the situation. Steeped into this stifled world the audience is ready for a breath of fresh air (there is no interval) and it comes with Act Two. Ceausescu’s forces kept a tight lid on the Romanian people, too tight, and eventually the repression went too far. Following the slaughter of anti-government protesters in the town of Timisoara, further demonstrations in Bucharest resulted in the army revolting against the government and siding with the protesters. This ultimately leads to the downfall of Ceausescu. | "The cast vividly deliver the eye-witness accounts of those who were actually there at the time" | |
The cast vividly deliver the eye-witness accounts of those who were actually there at the time of these developments. This gives us a powerful insight into the developing events and their impact on the people, the confusion, disbelief, hope and bravery shown against the seemingly invulnerable state machine. In Act Three there follows doubt, discord and recriminations as a new order is established and old allegiances become re-aligned after Ceausescu’s swift execution.
The relationships which we follow are also re-oriented and without the common foe of Ceausescu and the securitate, previously subdued xenophobia towards Hungarians and gypsies rises to the fore. Just how liberated will they allow themselves to be? A teacher realises that for 20 years she had been the unquestioning mouthpiece for party propaganda - what place is there for her in the new Romania? Should the past be forgotten and a new Romania be built or should those involved in the previous regime be tracked down and punished… and who could be trusted now anyway? Caryl Churchill has written a bold, striking, contemporary drama following her visit to Romania in early 1990: the Out of the Blue company have done the work great justice. Under the direction of Mary Luckhurst they have created an adventurous and potent drama making effective use of music, choreography, film. Jamie Searle | 
