REVIEW: A FAN OF WAR by Polina Polozhentseva at Barons Court Theatre 26 - 30 August 2025

‘heart rending moments, melancholic and wistful’ ★★★ ½

The play has a circular feel, starting exactly how it ends: “And I didn’t call her back”.  This is a play about a Ukrainian woman living with the war, while being safe in another country. Her mother remains in Ukraine and calls her daughter each day. The guilt she feels is palpable in the play, not least because neighbours, her good friends have died in their own homes. 

The play gives an impression that Yasya is using sex as escapism, in her relationship with a French man, Jean-Pierre.   He becomes frustrated with her constantly mentioning the war. It is clearly playing heavily upon her mind especially as she is in close contact with her mother and sometimes her uncle. When she decides to visit her mother in the Ukraine, she cannot be sure whether her boyfriend will get in touch with her once she returns. 

Bogdana Kalantay is a German Ukrainian actress working internationally. She is fluent in an impressive number of languages. Here her easy linguistic skills means that her diction is beautifully clear. Her performance is sexy, and she is able to show the internal conflicts of the constant nagging worry of war (what it is doing to those in the Ukraine, the daily reports from her mother, the loss of her two girlfriends and the guilt that she is feeling).

Nathan Trochet as the French boyfriend Jean-Pierre is charming in his role and easily conveys how disturbing it is to hear the constant worry of war.  Trochet also has the challenge of playing both the mother and the uncle, which he does with clarity and again, a touch of charm. Kudos to the director, Anastazie Toros, who has made the whole show ultra clear, including the multi-rolling, and the underlying constant presence of war. The only moment of confusion is during the voice over, as one of the voices isn’t clear enough to be understood.

There are one or two heart rending moment: “No one came to bury Masha and Sasha.” Also, the occasional humorous moment but these were all too few. With such heavy content, it feels deeply melancholic, wistful even, for what might have been. The show comes to a rather abrupt ending and if it were not for the cast handing out roses and getting the audience on its feet to join them in a dance, it might not be clear that the show is over. There is no resolution. As such it’s not a joyful piece of theatre, maybe that’s okay and more realistic and a reflection of the times.

A FAN OF WAR by Polina Polozhentseva, translated by John Farndon, at Barons Court Theatre

26 - 30 August 2025

Instagram @afanofwar

Director: Anastazie Toros

Cast: Bogdana Kalantay, Nathan Trochet