2024 sees the world premiere of Mary, Queen of Rock! at the Fringe. You think you know the story of Mary, Queen of Scots? Think again…
The year is 1561. The Scottish Reformation has enforced an outright ban on rock’n’roll. Cue the arrival of Mary Stuart, one of the world’s biggest and most iconic musical artists… who happens to be the undisputed Queen of Rock! With the Scottish nobles and her cousin in England against her – can Mary get the country rocking? Or will heads roll?
Mary, Queen of Rock! is a highly original take on a classic Scottish story. With new music, a live band, tragedy, comedy and characters you will love – it’s set to be an incredible night out. This original new musical features several different genres of music but will essentially be a rock opera with a variety of different styles of rock and roll. Inspired by the music of Stevie Nicks, Avril Lavigne, ACDC, The Rolling Stones and more… this show is upbeat, loud and in your face.
Why is it that when a powerful woman is at the top of her game, society does everything it can to tear her down? This is true in the story of Mary, Queen of Scots and it’s true in popular culture today as this classic story is re-examined for a modern audience. The story of Mary, Queen of Scots resonates globally and there is still so much intrigue surrounding this woman on an international scale.
Co-writer Cal Ferguson says, “We are so excited to be bringing this new Scottish musical to the Fringe this year! After the success of Salamander, we are ready for our biggest and most ambitious production to date and can’t wait to work with Assembly again. The idea came during a holiday in France (of all places) when I asked Mhairi and Lewis – why has there never been a musical about Mary, Queen of Scots?
As native Scots ourselves, of course we knew the gist of the story but parts of it were hazy and once we started researching, we were amazed at how turbulent and dramatic her life was. One book described Mary as a being like a ‘rock star’ when she returned back to Scotland in 1561 to take the throne and from there – the idea of Mary as the Queen of Rock was born.
There is such a pattern in the story of a talented, powerful woman consistently being undermined by abusive men. We wanted to draw comparisons between the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and the misogyny our biggest female artists face today. We love to build them up but relish in their demise even more!”
Director Lana Pheutan said : “After 8 years of Pretty Knickers Productions our latest show Mary, Queen of Rock! seems like everything we have been building up to. For me as a director, it is an absolute dream, the script is rich, playful and truly Scottish, the music is sensational and the world that we are creating is somewhere I’m going to be delighted to spend a lot of time in as we kickstart rehearsals. The entire team is incredible and we’re all grafting harder than ever before to ensure this is our most daring and successful show yet. I’m so excited to be bringing one of Scotland’s most well- known women’s story to the Edinburgh Fringe in such a bold way. The audiences are in for a real treat. It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be raucous and it’s going to be rock and roll.”
Mary, Queen of Rock! is a vibrant, fun, bold and charming mix of historical fiction, comedy, live music and dazzling musical numbers. This Fringe will see Scotland’s most iconic Queen transforming into a rock goddess! Her story has so often been written by men who have relished in taking her down. But what if she was actually a rockstar? What if, in another era, she would have taken the world by storm?
