Dogstar Review: Scurvy, Mutiny, and a Ship Going Nowhere 2026

Dogstar, the new play by Daisy Hall, promises scurvy, mutiny, and mystery aboard an icebound whaling ship—but like its frozen vessel, the drama ultimately goes nowhere. The setup is strong: a few survivors are trapped in arctic ice, figuring out how to break free as the ice groans and explodes ominously around them. Babben (Justin Edwards) is an old hand who has whaled for almost 40 years; Gorey (Adam Rojko Vega) is a mischief-maker who walks around with a gun; and the youngest, most strait-laced is Sam (Abdul Jalloh), who seems immobilised by anxiety.

The men have lost dear comrades on the Dogstar and hold each other responsible in different ways, including talk of “bad luck” because Sam has killed a baby whale. There is also the Damoclean sword of scurvy, to which many shipmates have succumbed, and these men fear its hallucinatory effects. Under Lucy Morrison’s direction, the men bicker and witter, sometimes humorously, though you wish it were darker, sharper, funnier. The trio’s conversation makes goldfish-like circles of repetition.

The Setup: Scurvy, Mutiny, and Mystery on the Ice

Hall’s follow-up to her debut, Bellringers, sets a compelling scene: a whaling ship trapped in arctic ice, survivors haunted by loss and fear. The men are immobilized, unable to go anywhere, so they simply wait—lending a kind of Beckettian absurdism to the humor and squabbling. Is this Waiting for Godot on ice? There is talk of life and death but not enough of an existential exploration for that.

The script wobbles between ghost story and mutiny drama, neither chilling enough for the former nor exploring the latter with sufficient depth. The result is a play that feels stuck, much like its characters.

Character Dynamics: Bickering and Blame

The three men are distinct enough: Babben the veteran, Gorey the loose cannon, and Sam the anxious youngster. Their interactions drive the play, but the repetition wears thin. They cycle through the same arguments, the same accusations, without forward momentum.

Justin Edwards brings a weary authority to Babben, while Adam Rojko Vega’s Gorey is unpredictable and armed—a constant threat. Abdul Jalloh’s Sam is twitchy and guilt-ridden, but the script doesn’t give him enough to work with. The dynamic is promising but underdeveloped.

Direction and Pacing: Stuck in the Ice

Lucy Morrison’s direction emphasizes the men’s forced stasis, which works thematically but makes for a sluggish evening. The ice groans and explodes, but the humans don’t. The pacing drags as the men witter and bicker, and the promised tension never fully materializes.

There are moments of humor, but they are scattered. You wish the play would commit to either the absurdist comedy or the dark thriller it hints at. Instead, it hovers in between, never fully satisfying either.

What Works and What Doesn’t

• Strong setup: The icebound whaling ship and the threat of scurvy create immediate intrigue.
• Distinct characters: Babben, Gorey, and Sam are well-defined, even if underused.
• Beckettian humor: The absurdist squabbling has its moments.
• Lack of momentum: The play’s stasis becomes tedious; the men’s conversations go in circles.
• Unfulfilled potential: The script never commits to being a ghost story or a mutiny drama, leaving both undercooked.

Comparison: Dogstar vs. Classic Icebound Dramas

Dogstar invites comparison to other plays about isolation and survival. Here’s how it stacks up:

While Dogstar aims for the existential weight of these classics, it falls short, lacking their depth and sharpness. The background to this story is set out in Grey's Anatomy: The Endlessly Watchable Medical Drama Still Going. A related thread runs through Taps Aff: Why Going Shirtless Is This Season for Scots. Earlier coverage in Swedish Puppet Play Bonking Barbies: A Raunchy Theatre Review shows how the argument developed.

Final Verdict: A Play That Goes Nowhere

Dogstar has a compelling premise and a talented cast, but the script doesn’t deliver on its promise. The men’s forced stasis becomes the play’s defining feature—and its downfall. Without a clear dramatic arc, the audience is left as stuck as the characters. A closer look at the same subject appears in Three Men in a Boat Review: Quirky Novella Makes Perky Theatre. Anyone following the wider picture can start with Celebrity: latest articles. The same theme surfaces in Damian Lewis to Star in Old Vic's Henry V Under Rupert Goold, which takes a different angle.

If you’re a fan of Beckettian absurdism or maritime tales, you might find moments to appreciate. But overall, Dogstar is a frustrating experience that never quite finds its way out of the ice. Context on how this played out before sits in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child One-Part West End Review. A companion piece, 100 Sunset Review: Elliptical Drama in Toronto's Tibetan Community, approaches the same subject from another angle.