Writers: Gareth Hides and Anna Unwin
Director: Adam Stone
Musical Director: David Gibson
Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen tells the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey, the 17-year-old cousin of Mary I. Following the death of the young King Edward VI, the so-called “puppet king,” England is left in need of a monarch. With both Mary and Elizabeth declared illegitimate, Edward’s advisor, the Duke of Northumberland, advances Jane as queen, conveniently following her marriage to his son, Lord Guilford Dudley (Johnnie Benson). Jane’s short reign, rooted in her devout Protestant faith and reluctant sense of duty, ends in tragedy as Mary raises her forces to reclaim the crown, leading to the executions of Northumberland, Jane, and Guilford.
The musical succeeds in bringing this turbulent moment in Tudor history to life through a series of sung-through numbers. With little spoken dialogue, the show feels almost operatic at times, filled with belting vocals and soaring high notes. The cast handles the demanding score impressively, and the production reaches genuine emotional heights, particularly through the relationship between Jane and Guilford. What begins with comical hesitancy gradually deepens into something heartfelt, making their final moments together all the more tragic.
Anna Unwin plays a sweet and serious Jane, a devout Protestant whose deep knowledge of her faith shines through in the number Let’s Make The Best Of This. With her youth and goodness, she never seems to put a foot wrong, instead falling victim to an unfortunate fate that makes her ending all the more poignant. She is largely controlled by the more sinister Northumberland, to whom Constantine Andronikou brings a charismatic edge, making Jane the perfect pawn in his political game. Cezarah Bonner’s Mary provides a fiery contrast; in the number Bloody, she uses her powerful voice to embody her triumph over her helpless cousin. While the characters occasionally feel a little cartoonish, their strong contrasts help to clearly illustrate the key events and power struggles of the play.
The show deserves credit for its clarity. With so much historical context to convey, stories like this, particularly those that are less frequently told, can easily become convoluted. Here, however, each song effectively explains key events in the timeline. The number The Puppet King neatly establishes the opening situation and clarifies the relationships between characters, especially Northumberland and the young King Edward. That said, the humour doesn’t always land as successfully as the drama. The actual puppet that represents the king, given a squeaky voice by Andronikou, is a clever idea, but it might have worked better in a production that leaned more fully into a tongue-in-cheek tone. Similarly, the comic songs Hitched and Let’s Make The Best Of It offer moments of light relief, but their silly humour feels a bit out of place.
Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen also suffers from some pacing and tonal issues. At just over two hours, the show feels quite long, particularly given its minimal set and small ensemble, and many of the songs begin to blend together in both tone and structure. While a few standout numbers, such as Faithful and The Trial, deliver genuine emotional and dramatic power, others would benefit from greater musical or stylistic variation.
The second half gains momentum as the earlier groundwork pays off, but the first act occasionally feels weighed down by exposition. This is perhaps inevitable in a historical musical, where much of the opening must establish context and background — hence why more variation in the score would be especially beneficial. This would perhaps make the play more successful as an entertainment piece as well as an educational one.
Runs until 29 October 2025
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
60%
Emotional and educational