Directed by Katie Slater
Written by Rona Johnston
Throughout history, live music has been one of the most capturing forms of performance. The creative minds behind ‘Mary: A Gig Theatre Show’ effortlessly tap into the potential of lyrics and melody to transfix and transport. Blanketed in cosy carpets, twinkling fairy lights, and accents of Scottish tartan, the stage is set for Mary, Queen of Scots, embodied by lead singer and writer Rona Johnston, to reveal her more personal story. Weaved within mellow guitar strums, melodious and lifting original songs, and lyrically genius spoken word, the stark, truthful reality of what it means to be a Queen in a world of Kings is masterfully unveiled.
While devising is no easy task, these six actor-musicians marry theatre, story, and song to create a spell-binding performance under Isabel Read’s atmospheric lighting and Mick Zijdel’s slick sound design. The show traces the life of Mary, Queen of Scots from birth to death, whistling its audience through the various victories, laments and tragedies that characterized it. Exploring the deeper historiographical issues of her memory that has so become synonymous with her appearance and womanhood, the performance carries with it an increasingly apt message of equality and freedom.
Rona Johnston’s carefully written script is performed with both warmth and vehemence as Mary’s story begins to unfold. These shifts in tone and delivery are underscored by the surrounding band members who synchronously play behind Johnston’s captivating voice. Hester Irving on the fiddle/ bass, Laura Coull on the drums/ bass and Alli von Hirschberg on the guitar accompany Johnston both in her music and narration, as Izzie Atkinson and Jodie Kirkwood add haunting vocals in harmony. The direction of Katie Slater does well to breathe additional life into the storytelling, as the actor-musicians simultaneously embody characters such as her ladies in waiting (or the ‘Marys’), Queen Elizabeth I, and her first love turned downfall, Lord Darnley.
For all the brilliance of the writing and the artistic delivery of the story, the most prominent feature of this show, however, is the contagious love, enthusiasm, and passion that the performers have for their craft. Original, soulful, and moving, the music rings through the theatre, as lessons from this piece of history echo with every beat.
Contagious Love, Original
Mary: A Gig Theatre Show was performed at the Bedlam Theatre on February 1st.
Running time – One hour without interval.
Review by Josie Rose
Josie is a final-year History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh with a passion for all things theatre and creative arts. Interested in everything from new, innovative writing, poetry and spoken word, solo plays and devised theatre, to Shakespeare, 20th-century classics, and improv, Josie especially has a love for music. Her love for theatre began at a young age performing at the Watermill Theatre through their youth companies and later joining the National Youth Theatre and becoming a member of the Improverts.
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