On April 6, TheatreCNU took over the stage with an amazing performance of the play “Queen Margaret.” The tale of Queen Margaret is twisted and full of shocking moments of betrayal from trusted loyal colleagues. Inspired by Shakespeare’s histories and the War of Roses, “Queen Margaret” tells the life story of Margaret of Anjou from her marriage to Henry IV as a young girl to her banishment back to France. In the context of the play, King Henry IV was a man of God who prayed for no more wars yet he at times was very ineffective. This led to Margaret taking charge in some cases to run the kingdom and defend it. Both Henry and Margaret were forced to accept the betrayals of their trusted companions York and Warwick who tried to steal the throne. To stop the fighting Henry made a deal with the devil, the Duke of York, and disinherited his son so that York’s son Edward could take over. Margaret was decidedly not happy with her husband and decided it was up to her to fight back against the Duke of York.
The play covers many decades as Queen Margaret grows older and gains more power yet continues to struggle with balancing it in her hands. Act II builds upon the conflict and complex relationships set in Act I and is full of continued war, death, and treachery. Many scenes will make you gasp and cringe while others will have you laughing so hard that you’ll be questioning what just happened. While the context might be difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the play’s history, it is still highly entertaining, and the actors are all naturals when it comes to acting out Shakespeare and making the verse easy to follow.
Every single person making up the cast did a phenomenal job throughout the whole production. Queen Margaret was played by Senior Alexis Holland, who gave an outstanding performance as she strived to take back the throne from the Duke of York. Queen Margaret featured John Byrd as King Henry, Brayden Crickenberger as Suffolk and Clifford, Timothy Johnson as Cardinal and Edward and so many more. Seniors Alexis Holland and Audrey Shoop are also double cast as Queen Margaret and Joan of Arc and senior Bella Schaub and junior Oline Hale both play York and Warwick on different days. It is highly recommended to go to the show twice to see the different interpretations of the characters and support the actors. This past weekend may have been opening weekend, but you still have time to go pick up tickets for their last two performances this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the studio theater (April 12-14). What are you waiting for? Go get your tickets now!
