Bangers (BOV)

Bristol Old Vic theatre was caught in the middle of a real-life drama when the star of its latest production was injured at the start of a sell-out run of Bangers at the Weston Studio.

Chaya Gupta, who plays the part of Aria in the show, was hurt during rehearsals and deemed unable to perform, leaving the production team with the dilemma of who should fill in the role in her absence.

Fortunately, help was at hand in the form of the show’s producer, Stephanie Hartland. Despite not having performed on stage herself for nine years, Hartland strongly believed that the show should go on for the sake of the creative team, actors and audience.

She was on stage at 8pm, performing to a packed house with script in hand.

“I love the show and wanted it to continue for the sake of everyone involved,” she explains. “It was incredibly nerve-wracking although the adrenaline kicked in, but I could not leave people disappointed.”

On March 1 (at 8pm, with an additional 5pm show now added due to demand) the role will be played by Jess Tucker Boyd, who is the movement director as well as a trained actor, and has worked on the production since 2023.

Written by Danusia Samal, Bangers is directed by Vicky Moran (originally by Chris Sonnex), with design by Zoë Hurwitz, and sound by Duramaney Kamara, who also appears as DJ in the show.

The play follows the ups and downs of two characters as they navigate through their past and contemplate what their future holds; their twin narratives eventually coalescing at a club night.

Their stories – often communicated in lyrical verse or rap – include falling in love, discovering their sexuality, and reigniting their creative spark.

Aria is struggling to overcome a trauma from her past and Clef (Kaine Lawrence) is trying to decide what is next for his future.

Throughout, the action is set to an immersive soundtrack of R&B, hip hop, afro beats and garage tracks from the past 20 years or so, along with original songs from Kamara – a rousing curation intending to get the crowd on their feet by the end.

To round off the run at Bristol Old Vic, the team will be hosting a post-show after party at Coopers’ Hall, with sets from D L K, Scuttlebug and Akalaeko.