A gateway to Mary Wolstencraft
Mary and the Hyenas tries to tell the tale of Mary Wolstencraft, one of the first feminist writers whose unconventional life and thoughts caused a stir in 18th-century Britain. Maureen Lennon’s play, however, creates more questions than answers, writes Michael Holland.
But that is a good thing because now I will be reading all about this woman whose name I barely knew before seeing this production. A woman who wrote novels, books (her most famous being A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Wolstencraft taught, argued her corner with powerful men, and witnessed royal beheadings in the French Revolution!
This last piece of information was skimmed through in a matter of seconds on the stage but explained to me in detail by the woman who had convinced me to see this play, a woman with her own unconventional life and thoughts who happens to be an expert on all things Wolstencraft.
Which was very handy when I needed bits filled in on Lennon’s rollercoaster ride through Wolstencraft’s life that never stopped for the facts to settle.
We see her battling injustices while other women do not; fighting against being told to ‘Be a good girl’, demanding equal rights for women, and the right to inherit.
Her mother had told her she was an unwanted child, so Laura Elsworthy plays Mary with a permanent angry face. She hardly mellows when teaching young women to think for themselves; but when your life is a constant war with patriarchal confines it must be hard to raise a smile.
As the years and place are flashed up on the stage a short skit would be performed depicting what had happened there and then. We journey from London to the north, to Ireland and to France, with the whole evening punctuated by music in the style of 80s synth(written by Lennon and Billy Nomates), which gave it a Rock Follies vibe whenever Mary and the Hyenas broke into song but did little to further the story. In fact, the tunes distracted from it but that is not the fault of the wonderful Hyenas who sang and took the roles of everyone who passed through Mary’s life: Kate Hampson, Elexi Walker, Beth Crame, Kat Johns-Burke and Ainy Medina.
Overall, this is a worthy production that comes from a good place – Maureen Lennon related to Wolstencraft’s struggle as a woman writer – but this show is far from the full story of such a strong woman who had to cut out her very own and unique path in life. It is, though, a gateway play to stronger texts and information about this trailblazing woman.
My education continued on the journey home as I posed questions that my theatre companion answered – I have had my first lesson in Mary Wolstencraft. And if you don’t know her or her work, I suggest you begin yours here.
Wilton’s Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, London, E1 8JB until 29th March. Tickets: £13.50-£28 (£11-£25.50 Concession)
Box Office: 0207 7702 2789 / https://wiltons.org.uk/
