The events depicted in The Ballad of Maria Marten have a harrowing resonance to contemporary society, particularly the sharp end of domestic violence that women face.
One of the most popular children’s stories ever adapts surprisingly well to the stage, and this large cast has a rollicking good time telling it.
Impressive impersonations, lacerating lyrics, remastered melodies all make for a mindful entertainment.
Entirely sung through, this is a musical with a proper and original score that still feels remarkably fresh and sits in staggering contrast to the slot machine pay outs of a Jukebox musical.
Writing in an atmosphere thick with ideas about love, sexuality, art, poetry and time, Sewell swells the play with erudite verbosity, vernacular vetoed by academic parlance.
Searching for Betty is a beautifully constructed story, that was thoroughly entertaining and made me a little bit nostalgic.