Bloody Mary And The Nine Day Queen At Union Theatre London Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Debbie Kingsland
Bloody Mary and the 9 day Queen Written by Gareth Hides with Anna Unwin and Produced by Handiwork Productions
The musical which covers both the tragedy and factual history of a chapter in Tudor history. It’s a dramatic musical that tells the story of two queens; Bloody Mary and her younger cousin Lady Jane Grey who is a seventeen year old teenager who was Queen of England for just nine days in 1553. Following the death of Henry V111, the teenage King Edward V1 newly in power and the power-hungry Duke of Northumberland who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep control.
The singing, acting and complete animation from all five of the stars was absolutely fabulous and as good, if not better than some I’ve heard from West End shows. The diversity and range of their voices was incredible. Queen Mary was amazing and at one point of the show came in to the audience to sing which was great. The musical keeps you gripped throughout with every emotion, so no time to get complacent. It was a combinations of seriousness, sadness, passion, happiness and comedy emotions all portrayed.
I would be happy to go and see this again and again, probably one of the best musicals I’ve seen for a while, especially being all of it is conducted with just six entertainers and a handful of musicians all superbly talented with a diverse range of acting skills. The stage was really small with minimal props but you really didn’t notice due to the pace of the scenes. We didn’t know what to expect but it was amazing and was well received by everyone in the audience. Highly recommend it even if you are not a massive history fan which I wasn’t until I saw this play. I would however have liked to rewrite history to save Lady Jane from her premature death and that is how entranced I became during the play.
After the performance you were able to speak to the performers and stage staff in the bar/snug area which was enlightening, and and you could tell whilst speaking to them they were as passionate about the show as the roles they portrayed.
Rating: 5/5
Location – Union Theatre, Old Union Arches, 229 Union Street. London SE1 0LR
Phone number 0203 916 6015 – https://uniontheatre.biz/whats-on/
Please note: This theatre works on a first come first serve basis, all seats are unreserved so get there early to get a good seat or be seated together. The theatre opens ten minutes before the show starts.
Union Theatre has the ‘Over the Road Cafe’ or a Beer Garden. There a number of bars and eateries close by.
The nearest public transport to the Union Theatre is Southwark Tube station, (Jubilee Line) a 2-minute walk away or for British Rail Blackfriars is a ten minute walk
Performances 21 October 2025 – 29 October 2025
Weekdays £25.50 Weekend £29.50
Running time 145 mins with a 15-minute break
Accessibility – Very small so probably only viable for 1 or 2 wheelchairs at most