Khojaly created by Nick Awde. The Union Theatre, 229 Union Street, London SE1 to 5 February 2022. 4****. William Russell

There could be no more timely a piece than this play created by Nick Awde from the testimony of survivors of the Khojaly massacre on the 26th February 1992 . The town fell during the war in Nagorno-Karabash when the Azerbaijani inhabitants, who had been without water, electricity or gas, were attacked by the irregular Armenian forces. It was a time when the Soviet Union was collapsing and was one of those small wars far away in countries we do not know much about. The testimonies of six people who survive have been collected and used to form this moving and very sobering piece of theatre. It seems that some 200 people died although the figures could be higher but it is difficult to establish just what happened and the words speak for themselves. Director Vicky Marsh has secured fine performances from her cast and it is staged simply against three screens on which are presented images of the town before disaster fell. It is very moving to listen to this story of what really was neighbour against neighbour in the chaos that followed the fall of the Soviet Union.

Accountant: Maria Karelina.
Librarian: Azzurra Caccetta.
Housewife: Behnar Vakili.
Farmer: Sami Kali.
Doctor: Shiraz Khan.
Herder: Kevin Mesiti.

Director: Vicky Moran.
Set Designer: Sorcha Corcoran.
Costume Designer: Hannah Williams.