Monster – Seven Dials Playhouse, Covent Garden

Writer: Abigail Hood
Director: Kevin Tomlinson

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Deeply Unnerving“

5 / 5

Kayleigh Grey never really stood a chance – her chaotic home life a place of pain rather than comfort, while school is a reminder of her struggling education and inability to connect with the other pupils, but does that give her an excuse to do the inexcusable?

Abigail Hood’s fantastically written script keeps the audience on the edge of their seat throughout, diving in and questioning some brilliantly deep ethical grey areas. In the first half of the show, Kayleigh (Abigail Hood) is shown as loud and uncaring, but with quite a sympathetic light, yes she has the tendency to quickly react with aggression, but her reasoning is almost always to protect her best friend Zoe (Lauren Downie) from the bullies torment them both at school. Getting a glimpse into her home life with her alcoholic mother (Sarah Waddell) also aides the audience in sympathising somewhat with Kayleigh, a troubled girl with a complicated upbringing. Though her behaviour gets more and more erratic, boundaries are pushed and on one fateful day, she does something she’ll never be able to take back.

Kevin Tomlinson’s suspense ridden direction hooks the audience with a deeply disturbing culmination in the first half, with such a fast-paced, shocking event that unnerves even the less sensitive audience members. The second half focuses on the aftermath, and although less explosive than the first act, still fantastically portrayed. Focusing on how every single character has been affected years later, whether directly or indirectly is brilliantly intriguing, and a realistic insight into those affected or committing serious crimes. Hood and Tomlinson take care to ensure they never fully condemn or forgive the actions of the ‘monster’, instead approaching it quite balanced, leaving it as the murky grey area that is life itself, and allowing the audience to weigh up their own individual outlooks and decisions on how the situation was handled and who should be responsible, which is very powerfully done.

The intricately developed characters are written with depth, well balanced to not cause overkill in the drama stakes, but still ensuring the story is fully explored from every single angle. Hood does an excellent job portraying both the hyperactive, short-fused teenager, and the reflective, repenting adult, making the audience wholeheartedly believe her character. Lisa Ellis as the kind-hearted, encouraging teacher and Downie as the supportive best friend pack an emotional punch, and Sarah Waddell as Kayleigh’s abusive mother is executed perfectly.

The production is so expertly done that it leaves a lingering uncomfortable feeling that is surprisingly hard to shake! Discussions as you leave the theatre about justice, blame and redemption are inevitable, a fantastic show that’s well worth a watch.

Runs until 18 October 2025