The new British Hamilton, according to All That Dazzles.
Treason the Musical is based on the well-known failed gunpowder plot of 1605. During this period, the United Kingdom was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, who persecuted and burned Catholics simply for their beliefs. This musical picks up at the end of Elizabeth’s reign and focuses on the Catholic population’s hope that the Protestant King James will make Protestants and Catholics equal again and restore the former Catholic nobility to their former wealth. However, that hope disappeared when King James carried on with the reign of terror on the Catholics that the former Queen Elizabeth had started.
The Plot
Eventually, Catholic extremists got fed up with this situation and henceforth the gunpowder plot started to be plotted. Led by Robert Catesby, the extremists included Thomas Percy, Guy Fawkes, John Wright, and Tom Winter. Their dream was to kill King James and blow up his entire Parliament. Their hope was after destroying the Parliament, the King of Spain would intervene and revert the country to Catholicism.
When It All Went Wrong
The plot unraveling began when an anonymous letter was sent to Lord Monteagle, a British politician at the time, advising him to avoid the opening of Parliament. Guy Fawkes got caught guarding barrels of gunpowder while the others fled to raise an army but they were eventually found and killed for their treason. Most schools focus on Guy Fawkes’s part in the plot, but the other extremists played an equal part in it.
Thomas and Martha Percy
Treason the Musical does not focus on Guy Fawkes’s part in the whole scheme but on Thomas Percy’s part in it and what his wife Martha Percy thought about this whole scheme. The pair had the same beliefs and wants. Both wanted Catholics to be equal to Protestants, but they had a different ways of approaching the situation. Thomas Percy went on the extreme violence method, while Martha thought there might be a better, more peaceful way to achieve their goals. So while this musical is all about the history and culture of this failed mission, it also tells the story of genuine heart-breaking love.
The Journey of a Musical
The musical itself is full of vibrant songs, a fusion of folk and pop songs, which included ‘Take Things Into Our Own Hands, ‘Cold Hard Ground‘ and ‘Blind Faith‘. When paired with the fabulous vocals of Carrie Hope Fletcher, who plays Marth Percy and Bradley Jaden, who plays Thomas Percy, the show will blow your mind away. This musical is still not fully developed. The musical first released music on Spotify in March 2021 during the Global Pandemic. Featuring West End artists like Lucie Jones, it took the media and audiences by storm. Their first live performance was during West End Live 2022, with Carrie Hope Fletcher, Michael Hemmingway, and Simon Anthony Rhoden. Their set concluded the West End Live weekend.
Treason the Musical in Concert took place in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the 22nd and 23 of August 2022, which was not a full-blown production. I believe that this has the potential to be a full-blown production in the future and grow into its nickname as the ‘new British Hamilton’.
