''Queen Anne'' is a 2015 play by the British playwright

Helen Edmundson Helen Edmundson (born 1964) is a British playwright, screenwriter and producer. She has won awards and critical acclaim both for her original writing and for her adaptations of various literary classics for the stage and screen. Early life Edmu ...

on the life of

Anne, Queen of Great Britain Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 8 March 1702, and List of British monarchs, Queen of Great Britain and Irel ...

. It is set between just before her accession in 1702 and her husband George's death in 1708 and centres on the relationship between Anne and her close friend

Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

, by whom Anne was heavily influenced in the period before and during her reign. It was premiered at the

Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is built on to the side of the larger Royal Shakespeare Theatre, occupying the Victorian Gothic structure that formerly housed the Sh ...

by the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

from November 2015 until January 2016, directed by Natalie Abrahami. It made its London premiere from 30 June to 30 September 2017 at the

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

with Emma Cunniffe reprising her role as Anne and

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

as Sarah.

Plot

In 1702 London, a

gentleman's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with th ...

puts on a raucous satire mocking Princess Anne and her recent phantom pregnancy. Afterwards, Abigail Hill meets

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...

and her cousin Robert Harley, a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

and the

Leader of the House of Commons The Leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The Leader is always a memb ...

. Harley agrees to win her a position in Anne's household by introducing her to Anne's confidant Sarah Churchill, in return for her supplying him with information. Meanwhile, Sarah describes to her husband John Churchill, (

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

) her visit to

Sophia of Hanover Sophia (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate; – ) was Electress of Hanover from 19 December 1692 until 23 January 1698 as the consort of Prince-Elector Ernest Augustus. She was later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and ...

, presumed to be second in line to the throne due to Anne's continued childlessness. William III tries to force his sister-in-law Anne into accepting a visit to London by Sophia, despite Anne's misgivings about what message this will send out regarding her own position in the succession, but it takes Sarah to win Anne round to the idea. Soon afterwards William dies in a riding accident and Anne comes to the throne. Initially advised by Sidney Godolphin, Sarah and the Whigs, she is later won round to replacing him with Harley and following a more Tory line, such as supporting the anti-Whig

Occasional Conformity Act 1711 The Occasional Conformity Act (10 Ann. c. 6), also known as the Occasional Conformity Act 1711 or the Toleration Act 1711, was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which passed on 20 December 1711. Previous Occasional Co ...

and the

Act of Union of 1707 The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England. They put into effect the international Treaty of Union agre ...

. In revenge for Godolphin's dismissal and Anne's perceived lack of sympathy for Sarah's son's death, Sarah has Arthur Maynwaring write a damning and sexually explicit satire of Abigail's influence over Anne alleging that they have a lesbian relationship - Abigail has in fact gained and kept Anne's trust by never talking politics. Sarah shows this to Anne but later Abigail privately reveals that she knows Maynwaring and Sarah are behind it. Harley arranges for Swift to produce a satire aimed against Sarah and her husband, alleging their embezzlement of army funds to build

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's larg ...

. Sarah is then forced to resign her position of

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...

but relations sour between her and her husband when he does not resign in support of her. Sarah plans to publish her correspondence with Anne to avenge her dismissal, but this is thwarted and John decides to flee England rather than stay and face a trial. Sarah attempts one final meeting with Anne, but their relationship remains broken as Sarah makes one final defiant monologue to the audience.

Cast (Stratford premiere)

* Daisy Ashford - Lady Clarendon * Jonathan Broadbent - Robert Harley *

Robert Cavanah Robert Alexander Cavanah (born December 1965) is a Scottish stage and film actor, writer, director and producer. Biography Robert Cavanah was born in Edinburgh. He attended James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh followed by the Royal ...

- John Churchill * Jonathan Christie -

Arthur Maynwaring Arthur Maynwaring or Mainwaring (9 July 1668 – 13 November 1712), of Ightfield, Shropshire, was an English official and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1706 to 1712. He was also a journalist and a po ...

Emma Cunniffe Emma Cunniffe (born 3 July 1973) is an English film, stage and television actress. Early life Cunniffe was raised in Frodsham, Cheshire and attended Frodsham High School. She was in the local Frodsham panto group whilst growing up and was onc ...

- Queen Anne * Daniel Easton - Colonel Masham *

Michael Fenton Stevens Michael Fenton Stevens (born 12 February 1958) is an English actor and comedian. He was a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and sang the lead on the ''Spitting Image'' 1986 number 1 hit " The Chicken Song". He also starred in '' KYTV'', its ...

- Dr John Radcliffe *

Richard Hope Richard Hope may refer to: *Richard Hope (actor), British actor *Richard Hope (footballer) (born 1978), English footballer *Dick Hope, Scottish footballer {{hndis, Hope, Richard ...

Sidney Godolphin Sidney Godolphin is the name of: * Sidney Godolphin (colonel) (1652–1732), Member of Parliament for fifty years * Sidney Godolphin (poet) (1610–1643), English poet * Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of G ...

Natascha McElhone Natascha Abigail Taylor (born 14 December 1971), known professionally as Natascha McElhone (), is an English actress. In film, she has starred in the action thriller ''Ronin (film), Ronin'' (1998), the psychological comedy-drama ''The Truman Sho ...

- Sarah Churchill * Hywel Morgan -

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (; 2 April 165328 October 1708), was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. ...

* Beth Park -

Abigail Hill Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham (née Hill; 6 December 1734), was an English courtier. She was a favourite of Queen Anne, and a cousin of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. Life Early life Abigail Hill was the daughter of Francis Hill, a London m ...

Carl Prekopp Carl James Prekopp (born 25 May 1979) is a British actor. He is acclaimed for his radio plays. He played Richard III at the Riverside Studios (2010) and originated the part of Lawrence in Tim Firth's stage adaptation of ''Calendar Girls''. Pr ...

Defoe Defoe may refer to: People *Defoe (surname), most notably English author Daniel Defoe Places *Defoe, Webster County, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Other uses *Defoe (comics), a zombie story *Defoe Shipbuilding Company, a former shipy ...

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

Jenny Rainsford Jenny Rainsford is an English actress. Early life Jenny Rainsford was born to Katharine McMahon and Martin Rainsford. A native of Watford, Rainsford was educated at Watford Grammar School for Girls. At age 17, Rainsford first acted, in ''Macbe ...

- Jezebel/Lady-in-Waiting * Elliott Ross - Jack Churchill * Anna Tierney - Lady Somerset *

Tom Turner Tom Turner is an English landscape architect, garden designer and garden historian formerly teaching at the University of Greenwich in London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest ...

* Ragevan Vasan - Groom

References

{{Authority control 2015 plays Cultural depictions of Anne, Queen of Great Britain Cultural depictions of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Cultural depictions of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough Cultural depictions of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford Cultural depictions of Danish monarchs Cultural depictions of William III of England Plays by Helen Edmundson Plays set in the 1700s Plays set in England Plays based on real people

Plot

Cast (Stratford premiere)

See also

References