Review: MORNING STAR, Theatre 118
Morning Star runs at Theatre 118 until 26 July
By: Natalie O'Donoghue Jul. 24, 2025
Morning Star is the final play in the Theatre 118 ‘Play of the Week’ series. Taking place in an office block in Glasgow city centre, the initiative aims to shine a line on grassroots creative and showcase new talent to an audience. The shows are £10 a ticket or pay what you can.
In a high-rise flat in Glasgow, a journalist (Derek Banner) enters under the guise of concern for an elderly woman, pretending he is from the council. He questions her living circumstances and tries to discover what her story is. The woman (Angela T Edgar) reveals a shocking truth to him and shakes his reality.
The reporter has done some questionable things in his time and the person he has encountered is here to hold him accountable for it. A young girl was murdered and he is asked about the part he played in having someone convicted for the crime. He wrestles with himself as he tries to justify his actions.
Written by Alan Muir, and directed by Sara Robertson, Morning Star is a fairly baffling piece of theatre. There are some genuinely strong ideas but the execution is messy and at times confusing. The child who was murdered had moved here seeking refuge with her family but they were put in this tower block and forgotten about. There is the slightest hint of social commentary but then it doesn’t really go anywhere and the same goes for mention of war and genocide.
The press release promises horror and an ‘edge of your seat’ thriller and it woefully underdelivered on that front. Yes, there’s a bit of a supernatural element but as a spooky play there just isn’t enough of an atmosphere created and the dialogue isn’t gripping enough to justify the hour long runtime.
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