Ahhh! The youthful enthusiasm approach! Recently graduated from QMU, Rona Johnston, writer and lead performer, gathers her (5) Marys to tell the story of Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots. The 6 young ladies squeeze onto the tiny stage, smirking, impetuous and ready. With a strong feminist thread and music at its heart and a SOLD OUT run, this feels close to being a hit! But SIX this is not. Not yet!
Through a mixture of verse and song we follow Mary and her inner circle (known as her Marys) from France to Scotland and on to London and her ultimate demise. It is a strong story which lends itself to performance.
Eight songs (soon to be released on Spotify) light up the production, ranging from Celtic ballads to grunge-rock anthems. Alli Von Hirschberg on electric lead guitar is a star in the making.
I spy three separate amps, two electric power extension leads and a whole spaghetti load of cables and wires. There are tech problems, including Rona’s own microphone set-up, cutting in and out, and the violin getting swamped by the guitar and bass. Radio mics and a bit of housekeeping could do wonders, as could a bit of steadying and focusing direction.
However, there is no denying that there is something special here. Watch this space.
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 12th August 2024
North West End UK Rating:
Running time – 50mins
SMOKE is a savage queer comedy thriller. A play written and performed by Alex Gregory.…
Jack Docherty has had a much longer, and varied, career than many may be aware…
I once described a Wooster Group production to a prospective theatre date as a “massage…
Virginia Woolf’s poetic, genre-resistent novel The Waves might not feel like an obvious candidate for…
One of the predominant elements of John Le Carré’s novels concerning British Intelligence is bleakness.…
Miss Saigon is an iconic love story set in the last days of the Vietnam…