Mary Queen of Rock, Pretty Knickers Productions Review

10 Aug

Written by Jacqueline for Theatre and Tonic

Pretty Knickers Productions are no strangers to the Edinburgh Fringe, with their 2022 and 2023 hit play Salamander earning numerous five star reviews. This year the company are back with the premier of their musical Mary, Queen of Rock.

As the title would suggest, this is a retelling of the life story of Mary, Queen of Scots. However, this production sees her life story framed as a musical, in which she faces both the misogyny of her time but also the challenges of being a female rock musician. Pretty Knickers Productions is a female-led Scottish company who pride themselves on producing theatre that is necessary and relevant to today’s society, while also keeping things playful and enjoyable. I’ve seen many of their previous shows and was very intrigued by the concept of Mary, Queen of Rock and how it would pan out onstage.

There wasn’t a weak link among the cast, with many of them playing multiple characters. As the titular Mary, Mhari McCall was impeccable, with remarkable stage presence and phenomenal vocals. I also particularly enjoyed Sarah Dingwall in her dual roles of Mary Beaton and Lord Darnley.

Interview: ‘Mary, Queen of Rock!’, Pretty Knickers Productions

The rock music (performed by a five-piece band) was in-your-face and enjoyable but slightly repetitive at times, but with some adjustments, it could be a stellar score. I really enjoyed Elizabeth I’s pop songs as they were a fun and lighthearted contrast to the rest of the show. At times it was hard to hear the vocals over the band, but this could be the fault of the venue rather than the production teams.

Naturally there will be challenges when attempting to condense a historical figure’s life story into an 80-minute runtime, and it’s crucial to ensure that the characters and events are still clearly defined. For example, when Darnley was introduced he wasn’t named until a few minutes later. Though I recognised who this new character was likely to be, the couple behind me were openly asking each other “Who is that supposed to be?”. Assuming the show is aspiring to progress beyond Edinburgh and the Fringe, some adjustments might be necessary to ensure that the plot makes sense to people without a background knowledge of Mary herself.

All in all, Mary Queen of Scots is a show with a lot of potential. I have no doubt that the team at Pretty Knickers Productions will continue to work on this piece and develop its strengths, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses.