Three Queens
Rosamund Gravelle's five starred reviewed, internationally produced play, Three Queens is Rosamund's debut staged play about three iconic Tudor women on one pivotal evening that will decide not only their fates but also England's future destiny.
Three Queens is one-act play about a fictional encounter between Queen Mary I, Lady Jane Grey and the future Queen Elizabeth I, as well another royal cousin - Cardinal Reginald Pole - on the night before Lady Jane Grey is due to be executed.
'....Striking the balance between the struggles of having power, the influence of men, both past and present, and the all-important religious control of the time, Gravelle has written a script that puts the audience right in the centre of the conflict....'
A Young(ish) Perspective
'I absolutely loved it..The dialogue is wonderful, giving you a sense of the individuality, ambition and motivations of the three woman...'
Dr Elizabeth Norton, Historian
'....an impressive amount of character, emotion and machinations as our characters scheme their way through one decisive night....completely absorbing'
Everything Theatre
'...One of the surprising things about Three Queens is how it subverts the usual depiction of well-known historical figures...'
Breaking The Fourth Wall
'...This intriguing, thoughtful play sheds light on a much-loved and turbulent period of history...'
Theatre Weekly
'A little gem that’s resonated since I saw it'
Plot Summary
Set over the night before the execution of Lady Jane Grey, Cardinal Pole, (cousin to the new queen Mary Tudor and Princess Elizabeth Tudor), has secretly brought the condemned Lady Jane Grey to Greenwich Palace to speak with her cousin Queen Mary in the hopes of making Jane recant and save her life, and start Mary's reign, without a killing of a woman. However, Mary, newly crowned, is in no mood to help either her cousins having found herself unable to make Jane recant herself, and now bowing to what her council want her to do. Yet, she finds herself persuaded by Cardinal Pole and her faith to see Lady Jane, even though she has given up hope that Jane will change her mind. Meanwhile, Princess Elizabeth, who is also in Greenwich Palace, dallies with Sir Robert Dudley, and is drawn into helping Queen Mary, her sister, in trying to persuade Jane into doing what Mary wants. Yet Sir Robert Dudley undos all these plans and seals three women's fates, while Kat Ashley may have pushed Princess Elizabeth into acting into making Queen Mary fear her and unjustly punishing her and making her nightmare one step closer.
A night where three women's fates will be sealed and a country sets its future destiny.
A night where family and love turns deadly.
Read all the five and four star reviews of the 2024 production of Three Queens
Play specifics
Cast Size: 6
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes
Other:
Three Queens world premiere was staged at Barons Court Theatre, London in 2024, and was nominated for two Off-West End Stage (OFFIE) nominations and a London Pub Theatre Standing Ovation nomination, and was also chosen by theatre critic David Weir as his best show of 2024.
Three Queens had its American premiere in 2025 at The Gamut Theatre, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
Information about all past Three Queens productions, as well as its developmental history
can be found here
Rosamund Gravelle has talked extensively to history podcasts and given interviews about the play and its concept. Information about all the Press and Interviews she has given on Three Queens can be accessed here
Photographs from the 2024 Barons Court and Rosamund Gravelle production of Three Queens
Photos by Rosamund Gravelle
Becky Black as Queen Mary 1st from Three Queens
You can learn more about Three Queens by checking out some of the top reviews, interviews and talks
that Rosamund has given about the play below
Video by Becky Black
video curstsey and shared with permission by Becky Black
