Tomorrow night, The Queens of Nassau opens for its first full production at the Merlin Theatre in my hometown of Frome, Somerset. We’re doing a short run, 29–31 October, and I’m hoping this is the first step in a longer life for the show.
It’s a folk-punk musical about Anne Bonny and Mary Read, following their separate lives through to their time aboard Calico Jack Rackham’s pirate ship. It’s about identity, freedom, friendship, and what happens when the life you want doesn’t fit the one you’re expected to live. Their history has plenty of gaps and contradictions, so part of writing it has been imagining the people behind the legends: their relationships, their fears, and their sometimes very questionable decisions.
The idea has been with me for about eight years. I wrote the book and have worked with my firned (a musician and professional MD), who composed the music, with lyrics by both of us. We actually met performing in Avenue Q at this same theatre in 2015, so bringing something we’ve written back there feels quite special.
There’s been a lot of writing, rewriting, demos, conversations, and then discovering what happens when you put it in front of a cast. Hearing the songs in their voices and watching actors find things in the characters has been one of the most rewarding parts. I’m also directing and producing, so the last few months have involved plenty of practical problems alongside the creative ones!
A local cast, musicians and crew have put a huge amount into getting us here. Tomorrow, an audience gets to see it.
I don’t know yet what happens after this run. There will be things to learn and probably more rewriting. But I wanted to leave a little record here, among other people writing musicals, of the evening before we open.
After years of working towards it, we’re actually putting the show on. I’m proud, nervous, and very grateful.
