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| Blenheim Palace, gifted to the Churchills by Queen Anne |
Unfortunately, I am a flawed human being. And you know who else was a flawed human being? Queen Anne.
I've felt sympathetic towards Queen Anne for a long time. Whenever she's mentioned it's invariably either in the context of her appearance (omg she was FAT! She was buried in an almost square coffin because she was FAT!) or her seventeen pregnancies, none of which resulted in a child who lived to adulthood. She's treated either as a figure of a fun or a figure of abject tragedy; you rarely hear about her achievements, her views or her personality.
Queen Anne presented her as a multidimensional human (played by Emma Cunliffe), showing her development from an extremely fearful, naive princess, painfully lacking in self-confidence and relying completely on her best friend, the dominant Sarah Churchill (Romola Garai), to a considerably more self-assured, somewhat less naive and still kind and generous Queen. I enjoyed the portrayal of Anne's relationship with her husband. George of Denmark (Hywel Morgan) was depicted as a gentle, benign, simple character, who loved Anne and delighted in playing silly games with Sarah Churchill's young son. As a couple - especially towards the end of George's life, when they were both in ill health - Anne and George contrasted sharply with the glamorous, ambitious, able-bodied Churchills. I felt extremely sympathetic towards the royal couple, as they quietly and tenderly supported each other in their trials.
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough: another flawed character. More flawed, arguably, than the titular queen. Despite Sarah's manipulative behaviour towards Anne, one couldn't help admiring her vivacity, quick-thinking and determination. And, despite Sarah's protestations to the contrary, one believed the Duke of Marlborough (Chu Omambala) when he insisted that, underneath her artful facade, she genuinely cared about Anne. The relationship between Anne and Sarah and its progression was fascinating and plausible. It was easy for Sarah to take Anne's friendship for granted when Anne was needy and vulnerable and Sarah was so much more capable physically, socially and, as she believed, intellectually. Sarah only realised the value of the friendship when it was too late. I found it refreshing to see a period play about women's friendship that wasn't focussed on women's inferior status in society. Not that there's anything wrong with that focus; it just struck me as unusual that this play didn't have it.
Queen Anne presented her as a multidimensional human (played by Emma Cunliffe), showing her development from an extremely fearful, naive princess, painfully lacking in self-confidence and relying completely on her best friend, the dominant Sarah Churchill (Romola Garai), to a considerably more self-assured, somewhat less naive and still kind and generous Queen. I enjoyed the portrayal of Anne's relationship with her husband. George of Denmark (Hywel Morgan) was depicted as a gentle, benign, simple character, who loved Anne and delighted in playing silly games with Sarah Churchill's young son. As a couple - especially towards the end of George's life, when they were both in ill health - Anne and George contrasted sharply with the glamorous, ambitious, able-bodied Churchills. I felt extremely sympathetic towards the royal couple, as they quietly and tenderly supported each other in their trials.
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough: another flawed character. More flawed, arguably, than the titular queen. Despite Sarah's manipulative behaviour towards Anne, one couldn't help admiring her vivacity, quick-thinking and determination. And, despite Sarah's protestations to the contrary, one believed the Duke of Marlborough (Chu Omambala) when he insisted that, underneath her artful facade, she genuinely cared about Anne. The relationship between Anne and Sarah and its progression was fascinating and plausible. It was easy for Sarah to take Anne's friendship for granted when Anne was needy and vulnerable and Sarah was so much more capable physically, socially and, as she believed, intellectually. Sarah only realised the value of the friendship when it was too late. I found it refreshing to see a period play about women's friendship that wasn't focussed on women's inferior status in society. Not that there's anything wrong with that focus; it just struck me as unusual that this play didn't have it.
This was a relatively long play (three hours, including interval) but was engaging and thoroughly absorbing. The set was minimal but atmospheric. There were wood-panelled walls, multiple doors and what seemed to be real candles affixed to the walls. Other lighting was low. Costumes! Excellent. Perfect. Hairstyles? Ditto. Appearance of Jonathan Swift, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, poet and cleric? Check. Actor who played wise old financial adviser in Poldark? Yes, he was there too, in a vaguely similar role. I highly recommend this play.
Next: I don't know.
photo credit: Feathering the Nest Blenheim Palace via photopin (license)
Next: I don't know.
