Avant Bard Theatre presents a truncated and transformed adaptation of a collection of Shakespeare’s histories titled The Margriad, or the Tragedy of Queen Margaret, playing through March 29 at the Gunston Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia. Adapter Séamus Miller, who also directed this captivating piece, pulls from Richard II, Henry V, Henry VI (Parts 1–3), and Richard III, adding original text and shifting the focus to the character arc of Margaret of Anjou, including her journey to becoming the Queen of England, the role she played in the infamous War of the Roses, and her ultimate fall from power.
Before entering the black box theater, patrons had to choose between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Each individual is branded accordingly (with a sticker or temporary tattoo) with the white or red rose that symbolizes their allegiance and then is made to sit on segregated sides of the audience. Posted along the hallway of the entrance were several sheets laying out the distinction between the members of the Houses and further historical background on Margaret, including fascinating tidbits leading to her being dubbed the She-Wolf of France.
The stage was a large, relatively empty space, boxed in by black curtains, with the occasional prop or set piece carried on for various uses. Bleachers for the crowd sat at the front of the room, with a narrow aisle down the center dividing the two sections and allowing a walkway for the actors to enter or exit. Lighting Designer Solomon HaileSelassie does a tremendous job utilizing the expansive area and creatively casting shadows to highlight specific portions at any given time and adding a sometimes ethereal and other times ominous air.
The ensemble consists of seven players, each taking on multiple roles as the material spans from 1377 to 1485. But the main driver of the story is Stephen Kime, credited as The Chorus in the program. Kime serves as a narrator of sorts, with the job of jumping into scenes to fill a handful of smaller unlisted roles, including a hilarious recurring appearance as a Messenger. Kime is a kaleidoscope of characters with a wide array of accents, emotions, and appropriate hats, providing much-needed levity in an otherwise bloody and dark tale and delivering an impressive performance requiring agility and mental gymnastics that is fascinating to watch.
The show is presented as three acts, with a different actress featured as Margaret in each of the sections. Alyssa Sanders (Margaret 1) is the first iteration, followed by Sara Barker (Margaret 2), and finishing with Kathleen Akerley (Margaret 3). Aside from the simple necessity for every actor to carry various roles, the transitions from Margaret 1 to 2 to 3 also aided in amplifying her evolution from youthful bride to ambitious leader to vengeful mother and allowed each actor a chance to shine.
Samuel Richie was the weak and malleable Henry VI and stood out as he brought the journey from child king to deposed monarch to life. Devin Nikki Thomas was Richard III but notably dominated, however briefly, as Joan of Arc defiantly being burned at the stake, illustrated by HaileSelassie’s brilliant lighting effects. And Kiana Johnson played King Edward IV but was my personal favorite as Richard, Duke of York, bringing an infectious energy to every scene with a blend of devious cunning and fiery ambition.
Séamus Miller’s script for The Margriad, or the Tragedy of Queen Margaret is written with a deliberate balance of humorous asides — breaking the fourth wall as Kime’s Chorus flippantly dismisses Thomas’ Richard III’s well-known “Now is the winter of our discontent” speech as an unnecessary time-suck that the audience already knows — while adding compelling and insightful reflections on the waste of war, highlighting pivotal characters, speaking from the shadows of the afterlife on their titles, their important deeds, and their ultimate death, with a wistful utterance of “I don’t remember why.” The end result is a wild ride of humor, deceit, devotion, and death, and Avant Bard’s cast ups the ante with incredible presence, versatility, and raw talent. The entire production was quite exhilarating to watch and created a fresh and original take on a very old and thoroughly studied history.
I would highly recommend catching Avant Bard’s production of The Margriad, or the Tragedy of Queen Margaret. As Miller notes in the program, “In this disturbing era of forever wars (not to mention in this political moment, in which we cannot even agree on the facts), it is perhaps necessary to restate the obvious: war is hell.” Because today is a scary time. And we are not as far off from those hellish times as we would like to think. A key part of Avant Bard’s mission clearly states their desire to produce “thought-provoking theatre” and this production has succeeded in spades.
Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes, including two 10-minute intermissions.
The Margriad, or the Tragedy of Queen Margaret plays through March 29, 2025, presented by Avant Bard Theatre performing at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two, 2700 S. Lang St, Arlington, VA. Showtimes are 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 2:00 pm matinees Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are ($40 for general admission; $20 for students, seniors, and military veterans and servicemembers) are available online. Saturday matinees (including a mask-required performance on Saturday, March 22) are pay-what-you-can. Federal employees who have been wrongfully terminated by the current administration are welcome to complimentary tickets. Email info@avantbard.org with the date and time of the performance you would like to attend.
The digital program is here.
The Margriad, or the Tragedy of Queen Margaret
CAST
Margaret 1: Alyssa Sanders; Margaret 2: Sara Barker; Margaret 3: Kathleen Akerley; King Edward IV: Kiana Johnson; Henry VI: Samuel Richie; Richard III: Devin Nikki Thomas; The Chorus: Stephen Kime
PRODUCTION AND DESIGN TEAM
Director and Adaptor: Séamus Miller; Stage Manager: Laura Schlachtmeyer; Assistant Director: Rachel Johns; Fight & Intimacy Choreographer: James Finley; Sound Designer: Marcus Kyd; Lighting Designer: Solomon HaileSelassie; Costume Designer: Charlie Van Kirk; Master Electrician/Lightboard Programmer: Pierce Stoneburner; Lightboard Programmer 2: Sage Green; Photographer: DJ Corey; Marketing Graphics Designer: Jacob Walker; Tattoo Designer: Andy Gomez Reyes; Box Office/Program Design: Josie Palmarini; Volunteer Comms Director: Rebecca Forrest; Electricians: Patrick Carter, Sage Green, Dazinsky Muscadin, Sean Preston, and Mitchell Robinson
SEE ALSO:
Avant Bard to take on Shakespeare’s most formidable queen in ‘The Margriad’ (news story, February 19, 2025)
