Pink Mist

Pink Mist
Performed on: 31/07/2025
Performed by: The Wayfarers
Performed at: Theatre In The Hut
Written by: Owen Sheers
Directed by: Matthew Bird
Noda Rep: Mike Purnell

Theatre is about sometimes taking a risk, if we don’t we certainly don’t better
ourselves - we lay dormant and don’t challenge ourselves. Audiences are
sometimes happy with same old, same old, but for a company to grow you
absolutely made the right choice to attack this play with a story that deserves
to be told.
Not having heard of Pink Mist, it was good to discover it centred around three
young friends from Bristol who trying to find a purpose in life, find themselves
signing up to the army, and how their lives change forever. What came across
the footlights was the commitment each cast member put into this play. Even
if you weren’t first and foremost with action and dialogue for a while your
focus remained throughout, at no time were we distracted by anyone.
The next thing I found staggering was the pace. Arthur set the timing from the
off. Hats off to you (Mike) on having so much dialogue to learn. Your delivery
was excellent and clear cut. I really felt this came from the heart. Hads, Taff,
Gwen, Lisa and Sarah kept the pace going. It never faltered, and with such a
strong subject matter this was so important. You honestly could have heard a
pin drop in the hall. We waited on every line and movement.
This was quite a different type of setting also for The Wayfarers. I thought it
all worked extremely well and with good use of the chairs, using them as the
hospital bed and other various settings we needed no more. The script was
first and foremost. I did like the pink LEDs which flooded the stage before it
started, it really was a leap from the usual glamorous setting we’ve enjoyed at
The Hut but worked a treat.
Lighting did it’s job, I wasn’t so keen on the couple of blinding flashes we
had. I could see why this was chosen but boy did they blind! I wondered how
flashes of orange and gold would have worked and when Hads was lifted into
the air we had more of a slow motion movement (just a thought).

Costumes also did their job. The combat gear and t shirts looked great on the

guys. The tags just finished it off. The ladies too were depicted fine within
their characters. Again all nice and simple - just letting the play do its work.
I felt this play was brought to life with sensitivity and lyrical storytelling and
had a very emotional impact.
The movement around the stage had us on the edge of our seats especially
when looking for the landmines it was a good time for the pace to drop and
we held our breath. This mirrored the chaos and trauma of war creating a
visceral experience that lingered and kept us thinking well into the next day.

Arthur (Mike)
I felt you were totally in control of this role. You resonated deeply with the
audiences we hung on your every word. That was an awful lot to learn and
yet I felt you grasped the delicacy and grit of this poetic script and delivered
with skilful pace. We got a heartfelt sincerity from you throughout and
delivered and acted with such clarity. Well done.

Hads (Poppy)
Casting a female actor in this role didn’t distract me at all. As soon as you
came onto the stage it just felt extremely natural that a woman would be in
the same position and it redefined the boundaries of traditional war
narratives. In fact your performance was extremely convincing allowing the
audience to reconsider the emotional toll of war beyond gender expectations.
We certainly saw the emotional complexities of a soldier dealing with trauma.

Taff (Will)
You made Taff feel a very real person with understandable reasons for joining
the army. You portrayed both strength and emotion which certainly helped
the audience connect with you, especially in scenes with your wife. A serious
and thoughtful performance with a lot going on under the surface.

Gwen (Gabby)
You played Gwen with care and strong emotion and showing love and worry
when things got tough. Always likeable which made the audience easy to
connect with.

Lisa (Kat)
This was a very strong and emotional performance. You showed Lisa’s pain
and strength in a way that felt very real. You had a clever way of loving,
hurting and trying to stay strong. This resonated with the audience.

Sarah (Tanecia)

You played Sarah with strength and honesty. Your performance added a
gentle caring side to the story balancing out the tough themes, you made her
feel real and believable helping the audience connect with her emotions.

Director (Matthew)
Well Matthew what can I say? You chose a tough hard hitting play to make
your directorial debut. You absolutely pulled it off. You made it compelling
and engaging. The audience were with it every step of the way. You chose a
great cast who did every part justice and created a pace that was truly
breathtaking. I’m sure Mike and Stephen had some input but I truly take my
hat off to you. Well done.
I did find this play quite challenging to watch but one that will remain truly
memorable for a long time.
As always thank you for you warm welcome (hope to see Liz next time).
Best wishes
Mike x

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