Review: EDINBURGH 2022: REVIEW: THE SINGLE LADY, TheSpace On North Bridge - Perth Theatre
Can Elizabeth I keep both love and the Crown?
Queen Elizabeth I is famous for never marrying, for ruling alone as a woman in a man's world. TDTC ask what it takes in their original musical, The Single Lady. The conflicts of duty and love in a patriarchal society are explored through sassy humour, clever lyrics and confident performances.
The Queen is getting bad press for her affair with her childhood friend, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. As her adviser is fretting over the negative implications, she rejects Dudley's offer of marriage to rule alone. Hurt and angry, he proposes to her cousin, Lettice, creating a love triangle.
Drake and Brewer's soundtrack is rooted in pop and R&B. With contemporary music styles, comedy and modern language, it's reminiscent of Six. Moments of overlapping melodies and harmonising were some of the strongest sections and it would have been good to see more use of all four cast members together.
Highlights were the Queen's monologue and solo song "I Am The Queen". The actor had excellent stage presence and a powerful musical theatre belt that suited the songs very well. She was ably supported by the rest of the cast with humour and emotion. The use of historical language at key moments reminds the audience that though license is taken, these characters are based on real people who really lived.
Structurally there is room for improvement. More markers for setting and timescales would have aided the flow and pacing of the story, while a few more linking scenes between songs could also have provided more understanding of where songs were coming from in terms of the characters' emotional journeys.
The Single Lady explores the emotional turmoil resulting from being both a Queen bound by patriarchal expectations and norms, and a woman desiring to have the agency to follow her heart. Can she have it all, and still ensure history remembers her the way she chooses?
The Single Lady at TheSpace on North Bridge (Perth Theatre) 14.05 (50 minutes) Aug 8th - 13th
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