Days of Light (Manchester)

Grief and sobering solemnity rise to the fore in this evocative new play by award winning company Starving Artists. Amidst the thunderous tropical storms and crashing ocean waves of Hawaii they embark on a powerful journey embodied by the opening prose “I want to show you what forgiveness looks like.”

Days of Light marks a welcome return to The Studio for Starving Artists – the acclaimed US/UK partnership of Southend-born writer Godfrey Hamilton and Hawaiian born actor Mark Pinkosh. This latest piece showcases an emphatic return to their tropical roots after nearly two decades of ambitious productions.

The action unfolds as an exchange of monologues delivered by Milo and Miss Pekoe as they reprise their individual relationships with Nathan, a treasured lover and a troubled son. But in love there is inevitable loss and as the characters seek comfort in the arms of each other a new friendship is born and with it a peaceful acceptance.

Pinkosh gives an intense and accomplished performance as Milo whose journey from devoted husband to bereaved widower is coiled with heart-warming energy. Kate Layden’s portrayal of the sharp-tongued, irreverent Miss Pekoe is a succinct amalgamation of viciousness and vulnerability.

Despite the absence of central character Nathan, witty dialogue is punctuated with touching nuances that manages to absorb the audience throughout.

Jonathan Best directs a complex play that explores the sanctity of ardent love from a variety of perceptions whilst attempting to break down the stigma of homophobia, and he does so with poise and tangible contemplation.

– Sarah Bloomer