Holy orders, humble staging: The Popess conjures a sisterhood with heart, if not always polish
In Waterloo this week, a conclave has been called. Cardinals gather in the basement of The Glitch, white plumes of smoke curl skyward, the papal throne is filled. The surprise? The pope is a woman, writes Emily Driver.
The Popess, written and performed by Elena Mazzon and directed by Colin Watkeys, draws on an obscure and tantalising fragment of Christian history: the cult surrounding Gugliema of Bohemia, a 13th-century noblewoman once hailed by followers as the reincarnation of the Holy Spirit. Her canonisation, of course, never came – the inquisition saw to that. But for an hour in a small theatre space in Lower Marsh, her afterlife is briefly revived and fashioned into a solo account of one woman’s alienation from rigid, patriarchal dogma and her subsequent solace in a mystical, female-centred creed.
The subject feels pregnant with possibility: forgotten rights, religious heresy, dissolving categories of blasphemy and sanctity. Yet the production, for all its promise, is hesitant to get to the grit. Rather than excavating the potential of the strange recesses of esoteric belief, Mazzon opts for a more good-humoured and familiar approach, leaving one curious for more incendiary depth.
Still, there are moments that impact. Mazzon is resourceful of the small space, creating an intimate, almost conspiratorial atmosphere. Audience participation – singing, chanting, questioning – may be divisive elements of theatre but here they carry thematic weight, drawing us into conspiratorial complicity or putting us into persecution.
Billed as a ‘dark comedy’, The Popess doesn’t quite dig as deep into either category as it could. Yet there is promise on its premise. While Mazzon’s digressions into Essex and cockney accents were wavering and somewhat out of place, they also created great moments of comedic value. Meanwhile, her portrayal of an exiled adolescent, feverish and vulnerable, is the evening’s strongest note.
The Popess is a homemade sort of revelation. It is a modest production brought to life by a small team with moments of charm and zeal shining through constraints. With greater refinement, Mazzon’s project could yet achieve the second coming it gestures towards. The Glitch, Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7AE until 8th September 2025. 7pm (And 2pm matinee Sat)
Booking and full details: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/1718463
