Our theatre reviewer, Sam Sims, shares his thoughts on Mary and the Hyenas at Hull Truck Theatre.
Ask a random selection of the UK’s population who Mary Wollstonecraft was, and you’re unlikely to get a huge amount of information back. Perhaps people will know she was Mary ‘Frankenstein’ Shelley’s mother, which is, you know, not a bad way to be remembered or even better, that she was an author herself, writing the 1792 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, one of the most celebrated and influential feminist call to arms, ever. But what do we really know about Wollstonecraft?
After watching Mary and the Hyenas, Hull Truck’s latest show, which is also a co-production with Pilot Theatre, you’ll know a hell of a lot more. After spending several years researching Wollstonecraft, writer Maureen Lennon has put together a rich, often funny and incredibly informative story that not only highlights what this amazing woman achieved in her short life, but tells us exactly who she was. Mary and the Hyenas lays Wollstonecraft out and shows us who she was, warts and all. It’s a very modern feminist approach to a figure who was arguably, one of the first to question hers – and other women’s positions in a male-dominated world.
What makes Mary and the Hyenas truly special is that essentially, it’s a musical. There are some fantastic tunes in the show, written by singer-songwriter Billy Nomates that completely encapsulate who Mary was, what she fought for and against, her internal struggles and her hopes for the future. The first song, ‘How to build a girl’, kickstarts the show with a beautiful bang and from then on, it just gets better and better. Are the songs angry? Yes, quite. Is that a problem? No, no, no.
The actors are all sublime. They sing, dance and portray multiple characters and quite clearly really believe in the material they’re working with. A standout is Laura Elseworthy’s Mary but again, this is a real team-effort.
Other highlights include Mary’s description of her dad – “father, patriarch, prick”, very relatable lines like – “sometimes feminism isn’t enough to keep you from a fuckboy” and some floating dog leads. I still don’t know how they did that. The set and costumes too, both by Sara Perks are lovely. The former is simple but utilised very well and each look screams power and ‘you better not mess with me’.
Watching Mary and the Hyenas is bittersweet, or at least it was for me. When Wollstonecraft’s trailblazing work was released, it was notable and controversial but failed to bring about any immediate reforms. It’s been over 230 years since the book was published and whilst we have obviously seen monumental changes in the rights women are afforded and how they are positioned in society, you’d still expect there to be well, more and for there not to be attempts still – and successful ones at that – to remove these rights. But, and this is what Mary and the Hyenas pushes on to its audience, as long as there’s radical thinkers and people with the anger and fire to fight, we will continue to move forward. It’s what Mary wanted for her daughter and successive generations and those are the foundations she laid.
[Sam Sims – Theatre reviewer]
Mary and the Hyenas will be at Hull Truck Theatre until 1 March, then transfer to London’s Wilton’s Musical Hall from 18 until 29 March.
