Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Blandy
Lovelock Productions
Genre: Contemporary, Dark Comedy, Theatre
Venue: Assembly George Square
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
The true story of Mary Blandy, tried in the 18th century for murder, whose story was sensationalised in the newly established British Press. This modern re-telling asks if Mary was the villain or the victim, conned or conniving and uses modern language and dress in a fast paced dark comedy to explore this story of a vulnerable woman and her bad boy lover.
Review
All rise. The court is session for the trial of Mary Blandy, cold-hearted poisoner, wicked spinster, no better than she should be ugly pock-marked witch. Created from a true story, this is a fresh and sparkling re-telling of the romantic girl meets charming man story, giving a strong voice to the woman whose real-life tragedy was lost in one of the first examples of tabloid journalism; the original ‘why let the truth get in the way of a good story.’. There is no doubt that Mary administered the poison but what this play explores is why she did it and how she was first victimised and then coerced.
Writer Coco Cottam tells it through flashbacks in a setting that resembles the middle class concerns of Middlemarch stirred in with the more earthy tones of Wuthering Heights but with snappy modern dialogue. Think Bridgerton meets a ‘ripped from the headlines’ ITV three part drama whydunnit. Cottam and director Lydia Free have wisely chosen to stage Blandy as a comedic romp because this contrasts well with the dark undertones and means the story is told at a rollicking pace punctured by growing menace. Woven in with Mary’s story is that of the Pig Princess, a fairy fable that Mary tells herself to try to make sense of the trap she finds herself in. It is a neat device to provide clarity for the audience about where their sympathies should lie.
Actors Georgie Dettmer and Luke Nixon are beguiling and charming as Mary and her lover William, but also give strong performances as the many other characters we meet – Mary’s parents, the housemaid, court officials. Because of the speed of the play they only have a few moments to create these but both are skilled in using a precise gesture, a change in posture or switch in tone or pitch.
Cottam’s script is packed with off-beat lyrical lines – a growing tree symbolises a fresh page in a life story – and witticisms which create fully rounded original characters rather than ciphers (in the main). Free’s direction swerves away from naturalistic drama and instead she provides economical and immediate story telling. The lack of period language and costume help the audience connect with the story, understanding its modern relevance. The soundscape by DJ and composer Ice Dob forces the pace too and Ted Fussell’s lighting design heightens each scene. It feels like we are in a night club with drink fuelled gossip and rivalries spilling onto the dance floor.
Towards the end of the play some caricatures do creep into the court scene, and the multi-rolling becomes too knowing, the role swaps played for laughs rather than dramatic necessity. A change of pace here would benefit the sombre turn of events, the jeopardy that Mary faces. The last few minutes felt rushed rather than an orchestrated rising crescendo, and less polished than the rest of this excellent production.
Blandy is an accomplished show from this relatively young company exploring a tragic story behind the gory headlines with a very effective, and affecting, modern lens.
