The Day the Sky Turned Black

A couple of years ago, Ali Kennedy-Scott left a lucrative job as a corporate management consultant and enrolled at the Bristol Old Vic. Her obvious passion for theatre is congenially flaunted in one-woman show The Day the Sky Turned Black.

Based on Australia's Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, in which 173 people died and 414 were injured, the play presents the stories of a housewife, a mother, a child, the elderly owner of an antique shop, and a television reporter. Each character has their own chair, on which wait the small collection of props that set them apart. Kennedy-Scott flits between them against a soft, orange-tinted backdrop – a well-considered staging for the calm, reflective tone of the piece. To her credit, the narratives cohere into a cross-section of perspectives that is sensitive and authentic.

Her greatest asset is her evident sense of empathy. She treats her characters well – each one gets a thoughtful, tender portrayal. The play’s greatest weakness, however, is a certain lack of subtlety which prevents the play becoming truly moving, rather than merely compassionate. Just referring to an unfortunate event is insufficient to create pathos, and the script contents itself with informing the audience rather than really engaging them. Kennedy-Scott’s performance is not quite convincing enough to step up and showcase emotion viscerally rather than verbally. Still, this is a considerate, likeable work of theatre.