REVIEW: Atomic Tales, Elena Arvigo, EdFringe 2025 ★★★★★

We all know what happened in Chernobyl in 1986. But do we really know what happened? Arvigo’s powerful adaptation of Svetlana Aleksievič’s memoirs is bringing back to life one out of the tens of thousands of little lives lost on the backdrop of the nuclear disaster. It teaches us empathy and immense power of human love through the eyes of an ordinary woman with an extraordinary fate. 

The set – though simple – serves the story perfectly. As soon as the audience walks in, we’re taken to a dreamlike world – nightmarish almost. The loud breathing behind the gas mask, the UV light, the full PPE suit – it all feels a little too familiar. Could this indeed be our future? 

Arvigo holds our attention in the palm of her hand through slow, almost meditative introduction to the space – it feels like we’re meeting her in her living room to hear her story. At the beginning of the story is the never asked question: ‘What actually happened?’ The story of Lyudmila – the wife of a firefighter – doesn’t offer much exposition: as if who she was before the tragedy simply didn’t matter because she’s forever marked by it at the later age when she gets to retell her story – story of the 14 days between the explosion of Chernobyl and the death of her adored husband. 

Some themes of the heartbreaking solo show are obvious and brilliantly executed – the exploration of grief, immense loss, yearning, passion, love – though some are surprising and chillingly actual. Arvigo is able to transpire a political message – through the narration about past events, she’s offering a political and social commentary of the world we live in and through this she lifts a finger of warning to the future that most likely awaits us all. ‘Be afraid of the governments and not of the people’ – that’s the message that resonates throughout the play, alongside the lies that the governments tell to their people. This powerful bridge between the past and the present makes this play a hauntingly important watch. 

After a hugely successful run in Italy, Arvigo is bringing a shorter and more intense version of the play to EdFringe, it’s stripped down of its design elements, though through the lack of “fluff” the core remains even more heartbreaking. Arvigo’s performance is deeply moving, incredibly honest and almost palpably painful. Parts of the show are performed in Italian, at higher speed than the English parts and though this might feel like a language barrier to some, it’s a brilliant tool to convey passion and the unspeakable pain that the character is going through. 

Elena Arvigo is a powerhouse performer. This show is a devastatingly beautiful account of love that is able to overcome everything.

Recommended Drink: A nice cup of thick hot chocolate and a shortbread biscuit after the show to soothe the inner pain that the show might provoke. 

Performances of Atomic Tales have now concluded at EdFringe 2025.