Music, Book and Lyrics Tom James McGrath
Book, Lyrics and Director: Amy Clare Tasker
A 16th-century Spanish queen, labelled ‘mad’ by peers and by history, is given a new life in this new musical, now debuting in North London’s Lion and Unicorn Theatre. With witty songs, lilting melodies and compelling storytelling, The Queen is Mad asks if ‘Joanna la Loca’ wasn’t in fact mad, but full of rage?
Joanna is the third child of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon (making her cousin to the other famous Aragon, Catherine). She is headstrong, mouthy, and resistant to being told what to do, proving her to be an uncontrollable ‘problem’ for her parents. Today perhaps we’d say she simply wanted to be heard.
Joanna is glad for the escape to her new husband in Flanders, seeing marriage as a chance to get away from the controlling forces of her family. But her brief happiness and escape from her malicious father are brought to a sudden end when the wheel of fate brings the throne of Castille to Joanna’s head. It is much to the chagrin of the patriarchal world Joanna lives in, that it cannot stand by a woman in power, a woman with opinions.
Tom James McGrath’s music fills the stage with tripping melodies, that build effectively alongside Joanna’s mounting rage at her unreasonable situation. A simple piano melody is enough to accompany Natasha Hoeberigs’ impressive vocal power that carries this production through. Her dominating presence on stage has Joanna oscillating between hope, power and anger with great effect. While some songs pack more punch than others, there are genuinely moving moments as Joanna battles for agency, particularly the more emotive songs towards the end.
Alan Vicary and Brian Raftery are solid accompaniment to Hoeberigs excellent vocals, acting in turn as the maniacal King Ferdinand and cunning husband Phillip. Director Amy Clare Tasker makes subtle and effective use of the Lion and Unicorn’s small stage, with conservative use of props and dynamic movement that keeps the focus correctly on the tale and music, and not gimmicks. While storytelling is clear and engaging, a particular joke about the lofty King Ferdinand’s letters drawing laughs from the audience, at times the slightly simplistic dialogue and lyrics with affected regal accents can make this production feel like a bizarre 16th-century episode of The Crown.
It’s a story preoccupied by female rage; how the impact of a woman’s power is immediately discarded by a patriarchal world with one mention of hysteria. It’s an enlightening subject matter covered infrequently in the media. It would have been nice to see Joanna’s rage build slightly more considerately; it seems one moment she is mourning her husband, and the next she is possessed entirely with rage without much in between. But it’s a solid attempt at giving voice to this important and forgotten perspective.
A 16th-century psychodrama meets female rage, and set to music; it’s an enthralling concept in itself. Despite some blips, The Queen is Mad is a historical musical tale that’s worthy of being revisited.
Runs until 23 March 2024
