Queen Margaret, a new play by Jeanie
O’Hare, combines the work of William Shakespeare with the teachings of history
and places it firmly in the 21st Century. It is, essentially, the story of
Margaret of Anjou who was married to King Henry VI in what was possibly the
worst Anglo-French trade deal of its time.
There was no formal dimming of lights
at the start of this play, just a loud crash and an announcement that ‘Margaret
Remembers France’! This is done by Queen Margaret (Jade Anouka) talking to the
ghost of Joan of Arc (Lucy Mangan), who is not only the ‘spirit of France’ but
a spiritual companion and inner voice to Queen Margaret throughout the play. We
are soon chuckling as Joan of Arc bemoans the British weather, lack of
vineyards and appalling cheese!
Despite taking place in the 15th
Century, dialogue, costumes and staging are all modern in feel with a variety
of Royal Blue attire for Queen Margaret, and Joan of Arc mixes ripped jeans
with an ancient tunic. Suits replaced gowns, army boots and fatigues replaced
heavy armour and a black leather office chair replaced a throne.
Armed with Shakespeare’s war plays and
the words of Margaret’s surviving letters, O’Hare skilfully relates history in
a way that exposes current political issues facing Brexit, whilst being rooted
to the North via the Wars of the Roses. It is a play about Identity highlighted
through austerity and the voice of the people, played through the character of
Hume (Helena Lymbery). Borders and free trade are touched upon as we are taken
from France to England, Scotland to Ireland and back again.
By casting female actors in the
traditionally male roles of York (Lorraine Bruce) and Warwick (Bridgitta Roy),
I found myself ‘listening’ intently to the words of the characters as their complex
politics and selfish pursuits unfolded before me. These messages were less
about gender and more about human psychology.
With the staging being ‘in the round’,
Designer, Amanda Stoodley, takes advantage by segmenting the floor like a
clock. With lights surrounding the rim and criss-crossing to create
dartboard-like sections. It feels like the passing of time on a sundial one
minute then plain with circles within circles, as if stepping into an inner
sanctum, the next.
To the Shakespeare purists, this is
not a Shakespeare play but a wonderful re-telling of history aided by The Bard.
Text is modern and interlaced with iconic ‘Henry speeches’ that sit beautifully
within the realms of highly charged and energetic scenes.
Anouka’s Queen Margaret is a very
informed and confident performance as she negotiates this intelligent
teenager who confronts loneliness, isolation, political ineptitude, alongside
the issues of being an expat, wife, mother and savvy warmonger.
Henry VI (Max Runham), historically
written as a weak individual, gives Runham the opportunity to play the
faltering strengths of this conflicted King who teeters between mental health
issues and regal expectations. Ultimately deferring to God for spiritual
guidance.
In truth, Lymbery steals the show as
Hume. This is a gift of a role that oozes wit as she steps from narrator to
villain to broken-hearted loyal servant when she accidentally kills her father.
Finally, if you like a bit of blood
and gore, Kenan Ali’s fight direction is truly evident. Body bags of blood and
bloody throat cuttings abound. Hurrah!
Reviewer - Alexis Tuttle
on - 19/9/18
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