You Stupid Darkness!

Dying to Help

You Stupid Darkness!

by Sam Steiner

Putney Theatre Company at the Putney Arts Theatre Studio until 21^st March

Review by Heather Moulson

On night shift in an office setting, we see four volunteers working as the world around them falls apart. This may presumably be the aftermath of nuclear fallout, but alongside it sits a personal fallout, and the crumbling of four lives, as the volunteers grapple and struggle to stay strong for desperate callers.

A triumph for the Putney Theatre Company, You Stupid Darkness is well crafted, yet deeply disturbing. The two and a quarter hour production is deftly intensive as we are drawn into an on-going battle with self-control.

The acting space of the Studio is small, but is effectively used without seeming oppressive, and shows all the idiosyncrasies of the office environment. It somehow reflects the personalities of its Tuesday night occupants. The gas masks on the hooks are chilling, and the dry ice is effective in creating atmosphere, enhancing the ambiance of the appropriate lighting designed by Rich Evans. The posters that fall down and are then put up again tell us an awful lot, and the stagehands clad in anti-radiation garb make a powerful statement. Moreover, the sound design by Nick Wells takes us smoothly into their world.

The premise of a grim setting occupied by strong characters brings buoyancy and humour, while speaking volumes about their own hopefulness against all the odds.

The opening scene is lively, as a work experience boy Joey is initiated into their private hell. Whilst Joey is too young to share the other’s despair, Matt Rimmington creates nice mixture of his naivety and awakening.

The four actors craft the words of this intense piece with skill. Jessica Wallis as Angie, initially the office clown, brings us to the edge of her hysteria and back. Her character’s loneliness and fear make Wallis a highly watchable performer.

Katie Kelly creates a Frances who, staying upbeat and positive whilst in denial, grasping at straws, copes admirably with her own personal issues. The is a poignant touch of irony in Frances’ pregnancy and the issue of bringing children into a world where everything else is dying, and Kelly’s is a very intense and intelligent performance.

As Jon, Sam Moore gives a first impression of Jon being bitter and edgy, but it is he who carries the most humorous lines. It’s not exactly light relief but the coal black humour is swiftly delivered … plus admirable trombone playing, for which a well-deserved round of applause was apt. Morre’s Jon has a laugh-or-cry presence and is a powerful force.

The cast portray individuals who, while desperately trying to hold on to their selves, stay sincere for those tragic incoming calls. One feels the agony of their patience and their positivity for a succession of complete strangers while teetering on despair. Sensitively and skilfully directed by Justin Hopper, all is very convincingly done.

Sam Steiner’s writing sharply recreates the dystopian and very disturbing themes of You Stupid Darkness. More, Mr Steiner, please. And more please from this talented production company.

Heather Moulson, March 2026

Photography by Steve Lippitt