Examining faith in the (Tudor) pressure cooker

Baptist minister and evangelist Gareth Hides explains how his latest musical brings the faith of Lady Jane Grey, the (in)famous ‘Nine Day Queen’ to the stage - and serves as a signpost to Jesus

I remember sitting in a West End Theatre just before Covid and being particularly moved by such a brilliant performance. As the audience rose to its feet in applause (I also did the same) I remember asking myself, sensing a nudge from the Holy Spirit: what message am I applauding here?

There was no denying the power of this particular musical, but what was it saying to me as an audience member, and to our wider society?

Naturally, musicals come in all different shapes and sizes. Some come with beautiful, life affirming conclusions.

Others definitely not. I remember thinking at the time, 'What if I could harness just 10 or 25 per cent of this for the Gospel? What kind of impact could a musical have that would point people to Jesus?'

Little did I know that God was beginning to birth the ministry that I now have the privilege of leading, Handiwork Productions. It’s certainly not a conventional expression of accredited Baptist ministry, but it’s very clearly where God has led me over the past 2-3 years, since the premiere of my musical It is Well with My Soul, that tells the story of those behind the beloved Gospel hymn. We have the privilege of still being able to tour this musical in churches (and even our first prison last month!) and have plans to tour again next year.  

I’ve always been fascinated by history. Before we even went into rehearsals for the first tour of It is Well, I had two or three ideas I was considering for the next musical I should write. And then creativity and inspiration (unhelpfully in some ways) hit!

I began to write and record some early demos for a new project about Lady Jane Grey, the (in)famous ‘Nine Day Queen’ who was a young and passionate believer, stoked in the fresh fires of the European and English Reformations.

I was aware of Jane’s story as a young boy, when my grandparents who lived in Leicester took me to Bradgate Park for walks and to see the deer. I was speaking with a Leicester church leader a couple of months ago, and they said to me, encouraging me in the writing of this new musical, 'You do know that she belongs to us, don’t you?' I don’t think I’d quite realised the full extent of the cultural identity and connection many from Leicestershire have with Jane.

In this whole project, I have felt a responsibility to tell her story faithfully, not just in terms of factual detail but in terms of what she stood for and who she was in Christ.

As with all true stories I suppose, but particularly those in the faith who have gone before us, they form part of the 'great cloud of witnesses' that the writer to the Hebrews tells us are cheering us on as we run the race of faith.

I wonder what Jane would make of the musical we’re able to stage. Right from the start, I’ve felt that Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen (somewhat provocatively titled) was always going to be more ‘Trojan horse’ with the Gospel than It is Well with My Soul. Hopefully, due to its Royal and historical subject matter, the musical appeals perhaps more widely, but we’ve written it very much with the Gospel message being the thread running all through the piece.

The account of the execution of a teenage girl allows us to explore themes of eternity and the brevity of life without having to shoehorn this in. My prayer is that our audiences leave with the question in their minds: 'What am I living for? And if I was in Jane’s shoes, what would I be prepared to die for?'

Maybe I have a tendency to embrace stories of tragedy. Similarly to It is Well, Jane’s story gives me a platform to examine what faith looks like in the pressure cooker; when challenge and obstacles hit hard, where do we turn?

My co-writer, West End actor Anna Unwin, as part of our writing process wanted to evoke the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they faced the prospect of the fiery furnace: '…the God we serve is able to deliver us from it… but even if He does not…' (Daniel 3:17-18). Would I have the same courageous faith if I faced that Babylonian furnace or a Tudor execution block? Jane’s ending sadly didn’t parallel that of the three friends, but there was certainly another with her in the fire, One who is the Son of God.

The backdrop to Jane’s story and her fascinating relationship with her cousin Mary I, whose violent reign earned her the moniker 'Bloody', is of course the Reformation and Catholic/Protestant divisions. While we’re wanting to acknowledge this context, we’re seeking to point people away from a tribal label and to Jesus, the suffering Saviour, whose body was broken and blood was shed on the cross.

What really matters is your heart before God, not what label you may or may not be wearing.

Unlike It is Well which features plenty of dialogue, this new musical is mainly sung through. There are moments of dialogue, but musically it’s broad and extensive and entirely original (I didn’t have a beautiful hymn to include or inspire me on this one!). David Gibson, our musical arranger and director has come up with some gorgeous arrangements and moments - with most group numbers being in five part harmony (with only five actors on stage).
 

Adam Stone, our director, is bringing a beautiful and humorous staging of this piece to life. My wife Sarah and I, as we journey in leading Handiwork, are so blessed to have been able to have assembled such a cast and creative team for this project and we look forward to what the Lord will do through it.

Hopefully we may tour it at some point so more people can see it and, we pray, be impacted through its message.

We appreciate your prayers for this musical and for its future. As with It is Well, we hope this can be an event that Christians can easily invite along a friend who isn’t yet a believer. Even for those who don’t really like history, we hope there’s enough in the story and the music to engage each person and to be a signpost to Jesus.
 

Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen premieres at the Union Theatre in London and plays from 21-29 October. Tickets are available through our website: bloodymarymusical.com 

Gareth Hides is a Baptist minister and evangelist who leads Handiwork Productions

Do you have a view? Share your thoughts via our contact form