Full Cast Set For THE QUEEN IS MAD at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Performances begin on 26 July.
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 18, 2025
The Queen is Mad is written by 2024 Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Prize finalists, Amy Clare Tasker and Tom James McGrath. This three-actor musical takes inspiration from the true story of Joanna of Castile. When Joanna unexpectedly inherited the Spanish throne in 1504, her father & husband conspired to usurp her power by convincing the world she was insane.
Director Amy Clare Tasker said, "She went down in history as Joanna the Mad - what if she wasn't insane, but rightly furious at the way she was treated? How much has really changed for powerful women between Joanna's time and the Free Britney campaign? The Queen Is Mad reclaims Joanna's story as a quest for freedom and agency in a male-dominated world."
The cast includes: Maria Coyne (The King & I, Phantom of the Opera) as Joanna, Robert Finlayson (Road Show, Evita) as Ferdinand and Brian Raftery (Sweeney Todd, Her Way) as Philip.
The Queen is Mad features an ambitious score with "a classic theatrical sound" and "melodies which melt into dissonant, menacing lullabies" (TheatreAndTonic.co.uk). Joanna's liberation anthem Locked Away recently featured on BBC Radio 2 (Elaine Paige on Sunday).
Composer Tom James McGrath said, "The Queen Is Mad has a fresh new sound that hasn't been heard before in musical theatre. My influences for the show have included Stravinsky, Sondheim, and Max Martin. I want my music to move audiences with songs that are catchy and singable, but also haunting and profound."
The Queen is Mad will play two preview performances at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre in London on 26 & 27 July before transferring to ZOO Southsideat Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 1st - 24th August 2025.
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