the ballad of Maria Marten
WRITER BETH FLINTOFF
PRODUCER EASTERN ANGLES, STEPHEN JOSEPH THEATRE, MATTHEW LINLEY PRODUCTIONS
DESIGNER VERITY QUINN
COMPOSER LUKE POTTER
LIGHTING ZOE SPURR
MOVEMENT REBECCA RANDALL
2018 COMPANY ELIZABETH CRARER, LUCY GRATTAN, BETH NASH, ROXANNE PALMER, LYDIA BAKELMUN, SARAH GODDARD
2020 COMPANY ELIZABETH CRARER, SARAH GODDARD, EMMA DENLY, SUSANNA JENNINGS, JESSICA DIVES, SUZANNE AHMET
“It’s been a year since I died, and still nobody has found me”
A thrilling retelling of Suffolk’s real-life murder mystery…
Summer, 1827. In a red barn Maria Marten awaits her lover. A year later her body is found under the floor of the barn in a grain sack, barely identifiable, and the manhunt begins.
Maria’s story sent shock waves throughout the country. The Red Barn Murder (as it became known) was national news, inspiring writers and filmmakers down the ages. The sort of gruesome tale that had all the hallmarks of a classic crime drama – a missing body, a country location, a disreputable squire and a village stuck in its age-old traditions. But in all this hysteria Maria’s own story was lost - until now.
A new take on a classic story, Beth Flintoff re-examines the life of Maria Marten and the events that led up to her murder. Told vividly through vibrant movement, mesmerising sung harmonies and heartfelt performances.
‘The history books are re-written in this luminous, compassionate production. Unexpectedly joyous.’
★★★★ THE GUARDIAN
‘The genius of what Beth Flintoff has done is that it is not about the gruesome murder … but the person.’
★★★★ A YOUNGER THEATRE
Rich and transporting
★★★★
THE STAGE
Well worth catching on its tour
★★★★
Libby Purves THEATRE CAT
Superbly staged
BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
One of the best theatre experiences of the year
EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES