It's a Different Blue Beard: A Review

I was privileged to attend the Friday 15th March performance of Emma Rice’s retelling of Blue Beard at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. This was actually the first time I’d seen an Emma Rice play and I have to admit I don’t know what took me so long. I’ve been hearing a lot about this award winning dramaturgist for some time and came to the performance with some high expectations. Suffice to say that those expectations were more than met.

The story of Blue Beard is something of a classic and probably well known, but for those of you that might be a little unfamiliar let me fill you in. When a woman and her two daughters grow beyond the grief of losing their husband and father, they are enticed into a new life of excitement and exuberance when they meet the charismatic Blue Beard. One of the daughters is swept up by Blue Beard’s charm and agrees to marry him, while the other two grow more suspicious. They soon discover that Blue Bear’s dark secret is all his prior wives, that he murdered, and the fate of his new wife seems assured. Of course the women have a plan and Blue Beard meets a grim end in a turn of poetic justice.

This, however, is not the story of Emma Rice’s play. At least not entirely. As has become the trademark of this daring writer and director, this version of Blue Beard is told in context and reflection of another story. This is a play within a play. A shifting of a classic and already discomforting tale towards a more contemporary story reflecting some very real issues. This is certainly a fearless feminist work but it is no tirade. There is no lecture, only the very real begging from those in pain, seeking justice and change and the voices are not exclusively female. The only other male voice other than Blue Beard, maybe at times hapless, sometimes appearing a little aloof, but their’s is also a voice of loss, pain, and empathy. Not that I didn’t feel extremely affected by the women of the play, but I could find a very personal association with the male character outside of the Blue Beard narrative. Something I go into in my latest podcast episode Solo Dating in the City.

The direction of the show is impeccable and Emma Rice deserves all the accolades she’s already received and then some. The writing is also wonderful with much of the dialogue being witty, fun and snappy. A certain level of encouraged audience participation add an almost pantomime element that draws you in and makes you part of the experience. An element that just further adds to the eventual heartbreak. There is no doubt in my mind that Emma Rice is a masterful dramaturgist with a boundless passion and love for theatre and what she does. There is no way that someone could produce work of this calibre without that being true.

There are several musical numbers throughout the show and the music was composed by Stu Barker. Every song was a bit of a banger, catchy, fun and characterful and the incidental music was deeply atmospheric and reflective of the performances. Of course where there’s music there’s usually movement and this was directed and choreographed by Etta Murfit. The dance routines often made the jokes all the funnier or added elements of humour that weren’t necessarily in the dialogue. This truly showed a great understanding of movement as communication and the performance made use of every last millimetre of space.

There were minimal sets. Truly no sets to speak of. Instead the sets and scenes were defined by often large, moveable, props. Elements that not only helped with establishing place and illustrating major story points, but when including in parts of the movement, brought new dimensions to the storytelling and enhancements for the actors. Speaking of which, there was not a single dull voice or lacklustre performance on that stage. The cast was fairly minimal at only seven, consisting of Mirabelle Gremaud, Stephanie Hockley, Tristan Sturrock, Robyn Sinclair, Adam Mirsky, Patrycja Kujawska, and Katy Owen. Each and every one of them was great, Tristan Sturrock may have been tasked with the role of Blue Beard that he pulled off with all the debonair, swagger of a self important murdering psychopath, but it was Katy Owen with the task of carrying the show. Owen’s role as the narrator of Blue Beard and leading role of the external story may have been task enough but the shift required in the story required an immeasurable talent, that Owen obviously possesses in spades.

This is a performance made possible by Birmingham Rep, HOME Manchester, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, and York Theatre Royal in collaboration with Wise Children. It’s on at the Lyceum until the end of March and there are still tickets available. You can catch it at Birmingham Rep from the 9th - 20th April and Battersea Arts Centre 23rd - 18th May. It does come with warnings for containing adult themes of violence, strong language and suggestions of sexual assault. I still recommend watching the play if you do get the chance.