Assembly Roxy
Theatre
2-12, 14-26 Aug, 3:00pm-3:50pm

One February morning three years ago, we in Britain woke to news of an unparalleled tragedy, unfolding on the far side of the world.  Triggered by the heat of the antipodean summer, bush fires swept the tinderbox state of Victoria – burning out homes without warning, and leaving 173 rural Australians dead in their wake.  In this curiously beautiful and remarkably simple play, writer-performer Ali Kennedy Scott tells the tale of “Black Saturday” through the narratives of five fictional survivors, delivering a monologue that’s both heartbreaking and full of hope.

The Day The Sky Turned Black made its Edinburgh debut in 2010 – barely eighteen months after the disaster – and impressed us enough that we declared it “the best of many one-actor shows” we’d taken in that Fringe.  With just five chairs, five props and five pairs of shoes, Kennedy Scott perfectly captures each of her characters, from the uncomprehending young boy through to the devastated-but-determined elderly woman.  Performing with understated, restrained emotion, her stories were compelling and convincing, each one bringing both a new remembered horror and renewed commitment that life should carry on.

Make no mistake, this is a harrowing play; but it’s a defiant rallying cry as well, an unashamed affirmation of the Australian way.  Through both her writing and her physical acting, Kennedy Scott brought us a precious insight into life and death on the other side of the world.  In the time since its 2010 run, we see the play’s earned further plaudits in the UK, New York and, of course, across Australia… so don’t miss the chance to catch it now, on this welcome return to the Fringe.