Emma Rice’s ‘Blue Beard’ is a powerful reimagining of the gruesome French fairytale that is as likely to elicit a tear as a laugh, not only transforming the gory folktale into a musical cabaret romp, but also bringing an urgent message about ongoing male violence against women.
The show opens on the 3 F’s (Fearful Fucked and Furious), led by an inexplicably blue-bearded Mother Superior (Katy Owen). The sisters are disturbed by the arrival of the Lost Boy (Adam Mirsky), whose coming prompts the retelling of the revised version of Bluebeard. Unfolding in hilarious cabaret-esque fashion, the rebooted fairytale follows Treasure (Patrycja Kujawska) and her daughters, Lucky (Robyn Sinclair) and Trouble (Stephanie Hockley), as they navigate the world in the wake of their husband/father’s death. Upon meeting Blue Beard (Tristan Sturrock), Lucky soon falls for his charms. Anyone who knows the fairytale would not be far off guessing the horror that follows.
As one might expect from Wise Children, the cast are literally all-singing and all-dancing. Beautifully choreographed movement, stylised stage combat, songs, projections, illusions, and excellent performances combine to make this a theatrical tour-de-force that one shouldn’t miss for spectacle alone.
But this is not just spectacle. The Lost Boy’s story brings home the play’s message. Near the end we see CCTV footage of the Lost Sister (Mirabelle Gremaud) turning into a dark alleyway followed by a hooded man. The fairytale ends happily, real life doesn’t. The effect is undeniably powerful, Blue Beard is still out there, the violence continues. Rice has stated that it was the murder of Zara Aleena in 2022 that prompted her to create a work in which she could “walk Blue Beard’s victims home”, and as the ensemble join hands and take the play’s final step together, they do just that.
Image by Steve Tanner provided via Royal Lyceum Press Release