A tepid exploration of memory loss that’s easy to forget
The Man, The Boy, and The Girl are hiding from The Predator, a malignant alien that warps their memories and steals their time. The Woman appears to have some sort of protective influence, at least within her house. Whatever its sci-fi thriller marketing might suggest, at its heart The Murmuration of Starlings is a gentle exploration of memory loss, with The Predator representing dementia’s creeping influence. The play’s most affecting moments lie in its intimate domesticity, particularly Jenny Johns’ performance as The Woman, torn between her own reality and The Man’s distorted perceptions. A disjointed narrative fails to tie these moments together, leaving a confused final production.
The use of magical realism – capturing truths about our own world through the fantastical Predator – is original, but only partially successful. In its best moments, The Murmuration of Starlings unpicks dementia’s everyday tragedy. A particularly compelling scene sees The Woman bullied into singing The Man’s favourite song, only for its initial calming effect to backfire into explosive rage. The Boy (Jonny Dagnell) and The Man (Steve Hay) discuss the pursuing alien: “no one sees him coming”, before ending up “trapped in this version of ourselves”. These moments deliver genuine emotion and empathy.
Loose narrative connections prevent this impact from building across the show, afflicted by a lack of momentum. This isn’t just an overarching issue, but a problem within most scenes: it’s rarely clear why characters are in a particular situation, or what they aim to achieve. Perhaps this is an attempt to capture The Man’s inner turmoil, but it comes at the expense of entertainment and engagement. This lack of coherence feels more like a symptom than a choice, leaving scenes unable to build meaningfully on one another. A recurrent theme is unravelling the mystery of a red book and the number 28 bus, which does pay off towards the end but is neither present nor important enough to build a two-act show around.
This is a shame, because some clever ideas are on display. The Man and The Boy wear identical outfits, colour-swapped on their top halves, hinting at a deeper connection between them. An opening scene invites the audience to guess who is really losing their memory, before slowly drawing back the curtain. Behind the stage, a projection screen is put to good use, particularly when capturing the titular swirl of starlings during The Man and The Boy’s first meeting. The fact that no character is named builds an otherworldly, discordant atmosphere.
There’s an irony in a play about losing one’s memory being so forgettable, but that’s the reality of The Murmuration of Starlings. Jenny Johns’ excellent performance, along with some clever design choices, isn’t enough to hold its disjointed scenes together, robbing the narrative of its promised impact.
The Murmuration of Starlings plays at Seven Dials Playhouse until 14th March. Tickets can be purchased here.