Bloody Mary Live: review

Bloody Mary Live , until Sept 5, Assembly Festival Garden, Treehouse, Little Park Street, Coventry. By Keeley Brown What a brilliant one-woman show!

Knowledge of 16th Century English history isn't my strong point but this performance by Olivia Miller grabbed me from the start.

Playing the part of teen-queen in waiting Mary Tudor (aka Bloody Mary) proves a skilful device for giving a modern take on the monarch credited with sending hundreds of Protestants to burn at the stake during her five-year reign.

Her defence of course includes family 'previous' when it comes to religious persecution. Dad Henry VIII having set the benchmark rejecting Catholicism and establishing the Church of England so that he could divorce his wife, Mary's mother whom she was never to see again.

Olivia does a fantastic job of getting across how it was being a young woman in the 1500’s. She manages to compare her life with what’s happening in the world today in a way that is captivating, emotional and hilarious.

She spoke directly to the audience, got them involved and quite frankly bounced off them throughout the whole act. Olivia makes Mary come alive, and you start to understand how why she went on to earn her nickname. She gets across how deeply her father's actions influenced her and guided her to become such a short but powerful player in the history of the monarchy, one who had eventually bow down to her younger sister Elizabeth. It was intense in parts, but the way that she presented this story with such power and comedic effect ensures that this is something that will be loved by both theatre and comedy fans. *Written and performed by Olivia Miller (American Repertory Theater, Cherry Lane Theater), this one-woman show was shortlisted for the 2020 Les Enfants Terribles Award.

Duration: 1 hour FROM £9 BOOK TICKETS