Yellow Moon

by David Greig

"Yellow Moon" is a modern Bonnie and Clyde tale that follows the fortunes of two teenagers on the run. Silent Leila is an introverted girl who has a passion for celebrity magazines. Stag Lee Macalinden is the deadest of dead-end kids in a dead-end town. They never meant to get mixed up in a murder...but now they need a place to hide.

Genres: Plays, Drama

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2006

About the author

David Greig is a Scottish dramatist. He was born in Edinburgh in 1969 and brought up in Nigeria. He studied drama at Bristol University and is now a well-known writer and director of plays. He has been commissioned by the Royal Court, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company and was Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from 2015 until 2025, when he left to return to writing.

His first play was produced in Glasgow in 1992 and he has written many plays since, produced worldwide. In 1990 he co-founded Suspect Culture Theatre Group with Graham Eatough in Glasgow.

His translations include Camus' Caligula (2003), Candide 2000, and When the Bulbul Stopped Singing, based on a book by Raja Shehadeh. Danmy 306 + Me (4 ever) (1999) is a play written for children.

David Greig's plays include The American Pilot (2005), about America's involvement in the Middle East and Eastern Europe; Pyrenees (2005) about a man who is found in the foothills of the Pyrenees, having lost his memory; and San Diego (2003), a journey through the American dream. His latest works are Gobbo, a modern- day fairytale; Herges Adverntures of Tintin, an adaptation; Yellow Moon (2006); and Damascus (2007)

Reviews

[Murat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sürükleyici, şiirsel ve güzel bir eser. Bir Buffalo 66' tadı almadım değil.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play was an interesting look into the relationship of two very different teenagers who develop a deep connection. I found the stark contrast between Leila and Lee very interesting because they are two people who would most likely never have had nothing in common, but after Lee stabs Billy it made the two closer.
Leila has a strong need to almost protect Lee. I think she does this because she feels that in her own life she has little control or feeling (hence why she resorts to self harm). Lee feels like the missing piece of her puzzle, and we see this solved at the end when Leila finally speaks properly in an attempt to make Lee drop the gun.

I feel that the play has some underdeveloped part. For example, Leila self harming only comes into play a few times which ends up feeling useless at first glance. I wish this had been explored more and shown her motivations behind her actions. Then how in turn that could lead her to the bizarre situation she is in after leaving with Lee.

I also found the larger parts of text hard to read sometimes, but when it broke into characters speaking it had a better flow. This may be because I haven’t seen it staged and couldn’t imagine what that would look like onstage.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally read this in 30 mins thanks to a recommendation from my uni lecturer. It's clearly very short but also raises so many complex issues in such a short space without overwhelming the reader. Check it out!!

[Amy GB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely play. A WOC main character!!! Bit annoyed at the unexplained chunks of prose - stage directions? Narration? If so by whom? But otherwise a delightful, thoughtful play.

[Firat · Rating 5 out of 5]

En sevdiğim tiyatro metni budur.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I true highlight at the Edinburgh Fringe

[♡ྀིྀི · Rating 3 out of 5]

merci la prof d’anglais 🫶🏽

[Andrew Kosztyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The absolute BEST play you'll never read!