Review: Black Hole Sign play, Tron Theatre - Uma Nada-Rajah

Name: Black Hole Sign play
Brand: Uma Nada-Rajah
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

Lisa in the theatre
3 hours ago
4 min read

Glasgow Tron Theatre hosts the world premiere of Uma Nada-Rajah’s Black Hole Sign this autumn. The play about the beloved but struggling NHS, is a co-production with the Traverse Theatre Company created in association with National Theatre of Scotland and directed by Traverse Theatre’s Artistic Director, Gareth Nicholls. Read my review of this darkly comic and timely play below.

Black Hole Sign. Image by Laurence Winram

BLACK HOLE SIGN by Uma Nada-Rajah ★★★★☆

Review: 23 September 2025 | Tron Theatre, Glasgow

WORLD PREMIERE

Uma Nada-Rajah's Black Hole Sign is a new dark comedy play that shines a light on our struggling NHS. Set over one night on an understaffed NHS Scotland hospital ward, Black Hole Sign is like watching your favourite episode of ER or Casualty, but far more realistic, funny and tragic because of its plausibility. Uma Nada-Rajah - as well as being a successful playwright - is a practising Staff Nurse in Critical Care within NHS Scotland. Using her vast experience, and that of countless NHS workers interviewed for the play, she places the audience in prime 'fly-on-the-wall' position to observe the absurdities and catastrophes of caregiving in the most pressured of circumstances.

When a hole appears in the roof her crumbling A&E department, Senior Charge Nurse Crea (Helen Logan) calmly adds it to her list of emergencies to be dealt with by her already pressured team. Nurse Ani (Dani Heron) juggles her bursting caseload alongside supervising bewlidlered student nurse Lina (Betty Valencia), while seasoned porter Billy (Martin Docherty) ferries the injured and irate among the chaos. Mr Hopper (Beruce Khan) isn't expected to make it through the night, and delirious OAP Tersia (Ann Louise Ross) thinks she's at the dancing, a raging UTI fuelling her wild disco dreams.

Intelligently directed by the Traverse's Gareth Nicholls, Black Hole Sign is a beautifully woven, complex tale of spirited NHS staff, desperate patients and an institution pushed to breaking point. Nada-Rajah's book is a well-balanced mix of human tragedy interspersed with moments of bright, laugh-out humour, much of which comes from the phenomenal Ann Louise Ross' devastating comic timing, Betty Valencia's clueless but keen student, and a Mr Turnbull (another patient skillfully played by Martin Docherty) who has a spike stuck in his bum.

We know from the start that a terrible tragedy has taken place on this ward as we flip back and forth between snippets from a trial or hearing of some sort, and the night in question. The drama and suspense are handled sensitively, with the impact of every small decision and every tiny mistake clear and heart-wrenching.

Anna Orton's sets and costumes, and Lizzie Powell's lighting create an authentic, intriguing backdrop reminiscent of those fast-paced TV hospital dramas. With so many characters and so much going on, the 90 minute run-time flies past, but we never lose track of the storylines nor of the distinct characters. Performed by an astonishingly strong ensemble cast, Black Hole Sign is a fine example of powerful, thought-provoking, disturbing dark comedy done well. ★★★★☆

Black Hole Sign has its world premier at the Tron Theatre from 19 September – 4 October 2025 before transferring to the Traverse Theatre for a two week run. Find full dates and venue listings below.

Writer Uma Nada-Rajah says of her new play:

“I’m a nurse in my day job and have been a nurse for a long time. There is something so funny and tragic about day-to-day life in hospital, the way that routine and paperwork brush up against the grand processes of human existence: When you're born you get a birth certificate. When you die you get a death certificate. I wanted to capture that sense of absurdity and put it into a play that will make people laugh or cry. And at a time when there are a lot of questions circulating about the future of the National Health Service, I hope Black Hole Sign will make audiences think about the significance of care in modern society"

Gareth Nicholls says of the company he has assembled for Black Hole Sign:

‘I’m absolutely delighted to be working with this cracking ensemble of actors who will each bring a vast amount of talent, creativity, and care to Uma’s hugely ambitious and important play. Alongside the creative team I can’t wait to collaborate with such a brilliant group of actors on what is shaping up to be a truly moving, funny and powerful new play.’

Black Hole Sign Glasgow & Edinburgh dates

Venue: Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB

Dates: 19 September – 4 October 2025

Times: 7.30pm (matinees Sat 27 Sept & 4 Oct, 2.30pm)

Accessible performances: Captioned 25 Sept, 7.30pm ; Audio Description 1 Oct, 7.30pm ; BSL 3 Oct, 7.30pm

Ticket prices: £18/£21/£25

Box Office: 0141 552 4267

https://www.tron.co.uk/shows/black-hole-sign/

Venue: Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh EH1 2ED

Dates: 8 -18 October 2025

Times: 7.30pm (matinees Sat 11, Thu 16 & Sat 18, 2.30pm)

Accessible performances: Audio Description 16 & 18 Oct, 2.30pm

Ticket prices: £25/£20 (conc)

Box Office: 0131 228 1404

https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/black-hole-sign-autumn-25

Running time: approximately 1 hour 30 minutes (no interval)

Black Hole Sign was originally commissioned by the Traverse Theatre and is a Tron Theatre Company and Traverse Theatre Company co-production in association with National Theatre of Scotland.