With his play ‘Ladybird’, young Russian playwright Vassily Sigarev takes us into the dark world of the young Russian underclass trying to make lives for themselves in the new Russia. Directed by Lee Lewis, ‘Ladybird is the first play of the year in Belvoir’s B Sharp program.

‘Ladybird’ is structured around a farewell party that the main character Dima (Ian Meadows) gives at his flat to celebrate joining the Army. He invites his long time friends, junkie Slavik (Eamon Farren), Lera (Sophie Ross) and her cousin, Julia (Yael Stone), and his friend Arkasha (Adam Booth). Also at the party is his alcoholic father, whom he simply calls ‘the Waster’ (Slava Orel).

Lee Lewis’s production was solid and the cast gave strong performances. I get that one was supposed to be stirred up by the characters struggles, and their resilience, but I just couldn’t get past the play’s darkness and the despair. This was theatre that I kept at a distance because it was just painted too black.

On entering the theatre, we were greeted by Justin Nardella’s set, depicting Dima’s completely disheveled flat. To get by, Dima sells steel gravestone markers that he has stolen from the next door cemetery. He lives in a block of flats called Dead or Alive. His friend, Slavik, is a down and out junkie who goes about his flat looking for ants to eat. Arkasha who brings the food and drinks for the party is a crim who buys the gravestones from Dima. Julia is a bored, posh young woman who turns psychotic and tries to persuade Dima to jump off the building!

‘Ladybird’ plays the downstairs theatre at Belvoir till the 12th April.