Mary and the Hyenas at Wilton’s Music Hall
With the proliferation of manosphere-propagated misogyny and violence against women and girls, the story of one of feminism’s most resonant figures is a timely one. Mary and the Hyenas, as its decidedly indie group moniker would suggest, is a postmodern musical about Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Through majestic dance interludes juxtaposed against stripped-down set design, the play’s veritable sextet – Laura Elsworthy, Ainy Medina, Beth Crame, Elexi Walker, Kat Johns-Burke and Kate Hampson – bring the feminist philosopher’s story to life.
We start with Wollstonecraft in the bloodcurdling throes of childbirth as she welcomes her second child – and only progeny with anarchist pioneer William Godwin – Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, best known as Mary Shelley. But this bed in which Wollstonecraft welcomes new life soon turns into her death bed; the women’s advocate develops septicaemia, the result of a male doctor neglecting to wash his hands. It’s noted that, on the day Wollstonecraft died, a comet was seen illuminating the sky.
With ten days left to live and a newborn daughter she is rendered incapable of caring for, she looks back on her life. What follows is a frenetic history lesson, from Wollstonecraft’s traumatic childhood to her stint in France during the Reign of Terror, and, of course, the consolidation of her writings that would become her most famous work. The mesmerising ensemble cast achieve the extraordinary feat of taking on multiple roles, each of differing ages, genders, nationalities and timelines, seamlessly transitioning from one persona to the next.
Esther Richardson’s production is evocative in its minimalism, with the cast traversing a tower of crates that allude to the foundations of feminism. Every stylistic choice, if unremarkable, makes practical sense. With music by Billy Nomates, the cast also belt out soulful musical numbers, their ability to assume multitudinous onstage demands a triumph of endurance. Though the only actor who doesn’t take on multiple roles, Elsworthy commands the stage as the titular protagonist; her visceral pathos is a marvel to witness.
At the end, we are reminded of the women who followed in Wollstonecraft’s footsteps: Sojourner Truth, Bell Hooks, Audre Lorde, to name a few. These names feel somewhat incongruous with the mother of first-wave feminism. Having herself made the unfortunate comparison between white women and Black slaves, Wollstonecraft paved the way for the notoriously exclusionary suffragettes, who did not recognise Black women as being part of that aforementioned vindication (hooks famously wrote that whenever feminists spoke of women, they meant white women).
However, transcendent performances from an exceptionally talented cast more than makeup for this historical omission. As an accessible introduction to Wollstonecraft’s life and career, Mary and the Hyenas soars – much like the comet that lit up the sky the day she died.
Antonia Georgiou
Photos: Tom Arran Photo
Mary and the Hyenas is at Wilton’s Music Hall from 18th until 29th March 2025. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.
Watch the trailer for Mary and the Hyenas at Wilton’s Music Hall here:
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