Mary and the Hyenas is a two-hour musical romp through the life of Mary Wollstonecraft, the eighteenth-century writer and philosopher known for her advocacy of women’s rights. As a fiercely independent woman, Mary worked as a governess, teacher and reporter in revolutionary France while writing her now-famous feminist works, Vindication on the Rights of Man in 1790, followed by Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792.
A functional but minimalist set of a hundred wooden boxes dominates the stage. Reaching up towards the proscenium arch, the stacked boxes are attacked with great athleticism by the cast who dance on and even with these boxes. Some of the action sees the actors clamber up to the top of the stack to tower over the audience.
The six female actors perform with great gusto but no amount of energy can bring this rather flat script to life. The action is interspersed with unmemorable songs that fail to have that toe-tapping edge that makes successful musical theatre. This is a production that revels in the Northern accents of the cast, yet many of the songs are sung with a transatlantic American accent, which grates. But they all have good singing voices and do well against the pre-recorded music written by singer-songwriter Billy Nomates.
The show begins with Mary Wollstonecraft giving birth to her daughter Mary, who would turn out to be Mary Shelley, the renowned author of Frankenstein. Howling from the cast sets the tone for the production, which is loud from start to finish, reflecting Horace Walpole’s comment that Mary Wollstonecraft was “a hyena in petticoats”. Wollstonecraft only lived for the first 10 days of young Mary’s life and the premise of the show is Mary somehow sharing as much knowledge as she can during the short time they have together to enable her daughter to be her own independent person in the male-dominated world. Laura Elsworthy plays the role of Mary Wollstonecraft forcefully but her shouting tone inhibits a stronger emotional delivery.
Musically, the first song, ‘How to Grow a Girl’, showed promise but there are few other highlights until after the interval, with ‘We are the Men, Most Important Men’ introducing the audience to Thomas Paine and William Godwin, who later became Mary Wollstonecraft’s husband. The remaining female cast members play the male characters with a broad, stereotypical approach. Ainy Medina, Beth Crame, Elexi Walker, Kat Johns-Burke and Kate Hampson are able to demonstrate their comic leanings here and in their own vignettes. The fact that Mary’s best friend and first child were both called Fanny allows for some bawdy jokes but while moments of humour are scattered throughout the show, it all feels a bit hit-and-miss.
Writer Maureen Lennon tries to share Wollstonecraft’s fallibility while celebrating her advancement of the rights of women but it is all too rushed despite the reasonable running time. There is no doubt that there is talent on stage, but the amount of effort does not bring this play into the twenty-first century despite this experienced cast from Pilot Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre. My male companion thought the play could be summed up as ‘Women Good, Men Bad’ – surely there is more to feminist messaging than this?
Review by Fiona Gilbert
Six microphones, an electrifying score and a feminist icon.
Meet Mary and the Hyenas, a band who will sing you the inspiring story of Mary Wollstonecraft. A woman centuries ahead of her time: trailblazer, feminist and literary pioneer.
From her passionate advocacy for women’s rights to her tumultuous personal journey, Mary and the Hyenas captures the spirit and resilience of a woman who dared to defy the conventions of her time, and who kept going when so many wanted to bring her down. This is a witty, laugh out loud and searing tribute to the courage and determination of a woman who fought for equality and justice.
Cast: Laura Elsworthy (Mary Wollstonecraft); Kate Hampson (Mary’s Mother); Elexi Walker (Joseph Johnson/ Gilbert Imlay); Beth Crame (Eliza Wollstonecraft/ Dr Price/ Margaret Kingsborough); Kat Johns- Burke (Fanny Blood/Fuseli/Edward Wollstonecraft) and Ainy Medina (Mary Shelley/Marguerite/Thomas Paine)
Written by Maureen Lennon
Music and songs written by Billy Nomates (aka Tor Maries)
Directed by Esther Richardson
Designed by Sara Perks
MARY AND THE HYENAS
Wilton’s Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, London E1 8JB
Tuesday 18 to Saturday 29 March 2025
