The Murmuration of Starlings by Joe Graham, Seven Dials Playhouse, 1A Tower Street, London WC2H | until 14 March 2026 ⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Photo credit: Balancing Act

The Murmuration of Starlings

by Joe Graham

Seven Dials Playhouse, 1A Tower Street, London WC2H | until 14 March 2026

⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“Well acted and disturbing play.”

A hard working cast and some disturbing images make this play about life in a time when the world is in chaos – the murmuration of starlings, that strange mass flight perfectly synchronised they perform provides projected on a vast video screen to set the play's mood of threat that nobody can explain – an interesting, albeit occasionally hard to follow, evening. The Man does leave the house; the woman does not. He rages against the world; she calms him down. A young man appears. He is friendly and is travelling. There appears to be someone in the basement of the house. There are storms and blackouts, and a lot of play is made about apples which appear to be the Man's preferred fruit. The Woman clearly loves him and panders to his fears and tantrums forever changing the programmes on his television using his remote almost as a weapon. In act two we find a young woman living alone. The young man arrives. He has been travelling on the same bus she uses. She regards him as a threat. He has been too shy to approach her. The older couple appear, and the two different worlds become one. It is frankly hard at times to work out just what is going on – Graham says it is about dementia afflicting the Man which the audience share rather than watch. The result is a difficult evening but well staged and the cast is impeccable.

Cast

Steve Hay – Man

Jonny Dagnell – Boy

Jenny Johns – Woman

Jennifer Burton – Girl

Creatives

Director – Joe Graham