Rating: ★★★
Venue: Union Theatre, London
Cast: Cezarah Bonner, Anna Unwin, Constantine Andronikou, Johnnie Benson and Gareth Hides
The musical tells the story of two Queens: Bloody Mary and her seventeen-year-old cousin, Lady Jane Grey. Set during a time of political and economic upheaval after the death of Henry VIII, and with the teenage King Edward VI on the throne, the power-hungry Duke of Northumberland lurks in the background—willing to do whatever it takes to maintain control. This tragic, original musical explores timeless themes of family, power, faith, and the forces that bind or break us. Written by Gareth Hides with Anna Unwin and produced by Handiwork Productions, it’s a bold new work that asks urgent questions about identity and purpose: What are you living for? And what would you be willing to die for?
Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen is a new musical that tells the story of the shortest royal reign in English history. Everyone knows the story of Henry VIII and his six wives (and if you don’t, I can recommend a great musical!) but what happened after Henry VIII died? After his father’s death in 1547, 9-year-old Edward VI took the throne. He reigned until his death of tuberculosis 6 years later, having introduced Protestantism to England. This story picks up from the final days of his life and begins with the discussion around who will be next in line to the throne. Edward’s brother Mary has rightful claim to the throne but due to her parents’ marriage annulment, she is considered illegitimate. The Duke of Northumberland pressures King Edward into instead naming Lady Jane Grey, Catherine Parr’s younger sister, as his successor, and arranges her marriage with his son. Her reign lasts only 9 days before Mary I and her fast-growing following have it overturned, and she is proclaimed Queen herself.
This story is performed to an original score by Gareth Hides and Anna Unwin and is almost entirely sung through. Running at around 2.5 hours, it felt quite long and drawn out at times, especially the second act in which very little actually happens.
The performances themselves were very good, as was the staging and use of such an intimate space. The two fabulous female leads were the bright spot in this show. Co-writer and producer Anna Unwin portrayed a sweet and sincere Lady Jane Grey, and powerhouse Cezarah Bonner delivered an outstanding performance as Mary I. Johnnie Benson, who plays Guildford Dudley, has a great voice and excellent comedic timing. Costume designer Elisabeth Hindse has everyone in gorgeous elaborate dress that is perfectly period and status appropriate.
Unfortunately, it was the book that let the show down. An incredibly over-simplistic and basic retelling of history, the script had little depth and lacked nuance. The exclusion of many of the details left little explanation for some of the characters behaviour and often drastic choices, creating plot holes in the story for anyone not familiar with the source material. Some of the directorial decisions felt closer to amateur show than professional production, specifically the way the on-stage deaths were handled. The lighting design was disappointingly simple, with uneven and clunky transitions, and cues that felt disruptive to the visual rhythm of the scene. An exception to this is the use of a lighting special to create the jail cell which worked really well.
There were two or three catchy songs, but the rest were fairly unmemorable, and a lot of the songs felt remarkably similar to each other with many reprises, which after a while begins to feel rather monotonous. ‘Magical Medicine’ was a fun and witty number, clearly heavily inspired by 'A Spoonful of Sugar’. ‘Smile’ is Mary’s first big solo number and truly shows off the power and range of Bonner’s vocals. ‘Let’s Make the Best of This’ is performed as a duet between Benson and Unwin; a sweet, funny, and cleverly written song that allows a moment for the audience to become invested in their relationship, so that what comes later hits even harder emotionally, and the performers’ onstage connection contributes heavily to this.
There is a whole musical number, ‘Bloody’, dedicated to Queen Mary I deciding to make her nickname of ‘Bloody Mary’ into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but the show doesn’t even touch on where the nickname came from, a confusing story jump for anyone that isn’t well-versed in Tudor history.
There are some moments of comedic lightness, such as the use of a puppet as King Edward VI, in what is otherwise quite a dark play. The show has a lot of potential but hasn’t totally hit the mark for me in its current form. The book is in need of a major overhaul, and part of me wonders how much the music really adds to the show, and whether it may have been better off as a really powerful play, potentially with some music, rather than a full musical. However, I do feel like it could work as a musical with some heavy cuts and refining.
You can check out Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen at Union Theatre until 29th October.
You can book tickets here.
Review by Rachel
**photo credit: Colin Perkins**
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