As the war in Ukraine took hold when the Russians invaded under the orders from Putin, they invaded with violent force. Forcing many of the Ukrainian people to flee and take safety in other countries.

The cast of Four delivers Once Upon a Time in Ukraine in a chaotic, confusing and frustrating manner at times. I found it hard in places to follow their storyline.

However, Art is known to imitate real life and I looked at how these themes of frustration and fear would have taken hold of the Ukrainian people as they fled for their lives and weren’t sure if they would ever return to the life they knew and what would happen to those who stayed behind.

The cast discussed life in other countries although the ones who settled in Germany stood out the most.  Some of the refugees were placed in parts that could not speak anything other than German,  making communication a huge barrier. They are forced to try to learn new cultures, food and a way of life that was to become their normal way of life as they integrate.

Anyone who has been displaced due to conflict and wars would recognise and understand more about the themes the cast of Four was grappling with than I could,  although I could emphasise.

The stage hasn’t seen the end of staged productions about the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian creatives are going to take their experiences and speak to wider audiences to explore and understand the devastation that the war has created and the new ways of life they will have to learn to navigate.

For more information about Once Upon a Time in Ukraine please use the link below.

Three Stars.

https://www.praguefringe.com/programme/once-upon-a-time-in-ukraine/