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Madonna/Whore

Theatre 118, Glasgow

Three stars

 

Serial killers have been a mainstay of true crime TV for decades. Julie Calderwood’s new play puts the makers of such programmes in the dock as much as their subjects in a work that looks at men in power and the abuses they wield on the women who get in their way. 

 

Calderwood sets her play in a maximum-security prison, where man of the people TV host Hugo Cameron prepares for his exclusive interview with Thomas Cullen. Cullen is incarcerated for the murders of five women, but the interview is his last chance to convince the world of his innocence, with his on camera plea aimed especially at his daughter. 

 

Before all that, researcher Grace has had to navigate her way between the two evils that confront her. On the one hand, putting up with Hugo’s old school obnoxiousness seems to be part of the job description. On the other, Thomas’ initial charm points to a different side of a man with nothing to lose. 

 

On camera, the two men are at loggerheads, and it is left to Grace to negotiate the fallout, even if she has to demean herself, be it as office flunky, waitress and, finally, bait. The secrets revealed from this finally give voice to the killer’s lost victims.

 

While Calderwood flags up how badly women in the media can be treated, and despite the provocative title, she has actually created a psychological revenge thriller. This is brought to life in her own production by Sarah Pieraccini, who plays Grace as a woman on a mission. Thrown into the lion’s den, she more than holds her own with Gregory Bonnar’s sleazebag Hugo and James Keenan’s driven Thomas. 

 

This second show by grassroots company Theatre 118 as part of its Play of the Week season makes the most of its DIY studio space in an empty Glasgow office block. By ramping up the claustrophobia of the situation, Calderwood’s short, sharp shocker is captivating enough to potentially spawn a TV drama of its own.


The Herald, July 12th 2025

 

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