Monster At Seven Dials Playhouse Review
How much control do we have over who we are and what we become? Does the past define our future? Can we ever forget who we once were, escape our past mistakes and start again? Or are we doomed to be haunted, hounded and hunted forever?
These are the questions at the heart of Monster, the award-winning and critically acclaimed production now playing at Seven Dials Playhouse. Written by and starring Abigail Hood, this gripping drama draws inspiration from real-life cases—including that of Mary Bell—and confronts the audience with themes of childhood trauma, violence and redemption.
From the moment you enter the theatre, the tone is set. Newspaper clippings line the walls, screaming words like “innocent,” “frightening and traumatic,” “don’t kill my baby,” and “sex addict.” These are juxtaposed with fragments of hope—“joy,” “future,” “year in Greece”—creating a jarring emotional landscape that mirrors the play’s central tension.
Set in Glasgow in 2006, and following a story spanning two decades, Monster follows Kayleigh “Kay” Grey, a teenager raised in an abusive household and whose loyalty to her best friend Zoe often tips into dangerous retaliation. When a single act of violence shatters the lives of everyone around her, the play asks questions about culpability, rehabilitation and forgiveness- both of ourselves and of others).
This is not an easy watch. The writing is raw and biting, and the production doesn’t flinch from its darkest moments. A reference to a bottle used on Kayleigh elicited an audible gasp from the audience. Red lights, sirens, and screams convey the horror of the crime without showing it—the impact is immediate and unsettling. I don’t think I’ve ever sat in to a theatre where the blackout lingered and the audience was completely silent before the house lights came on for intermission. I found myself reflecting on a quote from my favourite teen TV drama One Tree Hill: “Does this darkness have a name? Is it yours?”
Even the intermission is thoughtfully curated. Songs like “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” echo the play’s themes: “Some of them want to use you, some of them want to get used by you, some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused”.
Following a highly praised run- including wins for Best Supporting Performance and nominations for Best New Play and Best Leading Performance-Abigail Hood and Kevin Tomlinson reprise their roles as Kayleigh and John. Hood delivers a layered performance as Kayleigh, revealing vulnerability beneath a hardened exterior.
Tomlinson pulls double duty as director. The cracked traffic cones, concrete blocks, rope swing, and corrugated tubing evoke a bleak urban landscape – mirroring emotional bleakness and isolation. The set remains static even as we transition to a home or beach, reinforcing the sense that escape is illusory. The music between transitions occasionally felt jarring, pulling focus rather than deepening mood.
Lauren Downie’s Zoe is heartbreakingly familiar—a shy, bullied teen we’ve all known or been. Steve Hay plays Steve Hastie with quiet restraint, allowing Lisa Ellis to give a gut-wrenching turn as teacher and new mother. Sarah Waddell’s turn as Kayleigh’s mother had us chuckling one minute as she sung whilst vacuuming, then gasping as the character’s choices revealed the devastating consequences of neglect.
The ending is a little bookended and I feel the scene prior would have been a better choice to end on. Kayleigh’s siblings are mentioned but not explored, and I was left wondering how her choices rippled through their lives. As a social worker, I found myself shaking my head at the teacher’s disregard for safeguarding procedures. But then, that’s theatre.
Monster is a captivating, thought-provoking piece that lingers long after the final blackout. It doesn’t offer easy answers—but it demands we ask the questions.
Monster runs from 25th September to 18th October. Tickets from
Address: Seven Dials Playhouse
Website: https://www.sevendialsplayhouse.co.uk/shows/monster
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevendialsplayhouse
Written by Caitlin Neal
