Josée Bekker delivers a standout performance as Empress Bloody Mary in Malcolm Roding’s bold new one-woman play.
By Sanj Saigal
Blending Tudor history with a futuristic set, the production sees Bekker portray a powerful Empress haunted by echoes of her past life as Bloody Mary Tudor.
Let’s set the scene: The Water Rats, Camden, next to King’s Cross – where better to see a show about a future galactic Empress? From Malcolm Roding (Your Melody, a musical performed for the Camden Fringe), comes a supremely self-confident Queen haunted by the mistakes she made in her infamous past life.
But let’s hear it from Josée Bekker, the star. In her latest role in Empress Bloody Mary, Josée dives headfirst into the tortured mind of a galactic Empress driven by memories of her long ago incarnation. Yes, it’s as complex as it is juicy.
Josée Bekker – Becoming the Queen
Physical Storytelling
Being a triple threat across acting, mezzo-soprano vocals and dance, Josée communicates the Empress’ bloody yet reflective mind across a range of classical music pieces with new, expressive lyrics. And she takes on the physicality of the role with gusto.
What really stands out about Empress Bloody Mary is the storytelling. A single person speaking to the audience for an hour might not sound the most captivating way to spend Sunday night, but the writing and Josée’s range pull it off. Fans of Fleabag, Prima Facie, and other acclaimed one-person shows will experience the familiar yet excitingly original in her portrayal.
Josée Bekker – Interview
Josée Bekker talks to Networking Magazine about stepping into the world of Empress Bloody Mary and the powerful themes she hopes will resonate with audiences.
First Reaction
Taking on a role of this scale requires enormous stamina and commitment. What was your first reaction when you were offered the part of the Empress, and what made you want to take on such a demanding one-woman show?
My agent sent me the script and a brief synopsis. The language and the depth of the character is what drew me in. It’s a whole different universe which was interesting to me.
I sent in a self-tape then discussed it with Malcolm over a long chat about how I see the character and where I wanted to take the role. It’s a bigger demand than I’ve put myself through before, but what’s life if you’re not growing and challenging yourself?
Past Life
The character is haunted by echoes of her past life as Bloody Mary Tudor, while also existing in this completely futuristic, galactic world. How did you approach bringing those two very different worlds together in your performance?
Every person has two sides to them, so you have to imagine that the character of the Empress being so deeply wounded as she is, had two very contrasting sides to her. I imagine in her mind she’s constantly battling with them both and in the end neither of the good or bad win… or do they? I won’t say.
Contrast
There’s a fascinating contrast between the Empress’s power and the vulnerability beneath it. How do you balance portraying her as a commanding, sometimes cruel figure with still allowing the audience to connect with her emotional side?
Yes, that’s what drew me to her the most. You’ll see her in her robes and crown, sitting majestically on her throne, ordering millions more soldiers to the war she’s launched, very confident and Queen-like.
And then that’s stripped away – she’s physically and emotionally totally exposed, totally vulnerable.
Josée Bekker – Disciplines
Your background spans musical theatre, acting and contemporary dance, giving you a particularly broad performance toolkit. How have those disciplines shaped your approach to a character who relies so heavily on voice, movement, and physical storytelling?
So I haven’t always been so out there. I was actually quite shy; my mum sent me to theatre lessons precisely to get me out of my shell. And I loved it, I really learnt to let go!
I’ve done film work too and that’s a more naturalistic approach. In the theatre, there’s people on the balcony straining to see. So you’ve got to really beam your words and your body must transmit meaning to them. But there’s something unique about humans being their most expressive selves. It’s quite freeing.
Footlights, LAMDA and UCLan
Coming from Manchester and later establishing yourself in London, you’ve trained with Footlights, LAMDA and UCLan. Looking back, which experiences or mentors have had the biggest impact on the performer you’ve become?
Honestly I’d say what helped me the most is just the experiences from life. Training as an actor is great fun, but truly learning to live as most authentically and wildly as possible is what gives you the ability to tap into any emotion within yourself. Live in full colours! Connect with people, see other people – their lives and stories, you’ll learn from it.
Nowhere To Hide
A one-woman show leaves you with nowhere to hide—you’re responsible for carrying the story, creating the world and holding the audience’s attention throughout. What has been the biggest challenge of performing Empress Bloody Mary alone, and what have you discovered about yourself as an actor through that experience?
This is the first kind of role I’ve done where it is just me completely alone, I have no one to bounce off, there’s no other human on stage to help me so as an actor, it’s really helped me conquer the fear of being alone with a character completely! And doing it justice, because it’s scary to not have any co-star on stage also portraying a character doing a dance with you, this time I’m dancing alone. And it feels quite different and very vulnerable in itself.
Dark Romance, Horror, History and Science Fiction
The play boldly mixes dark romance, horror, history and science fiction. What do you hope audiences take away from Empress Bloody Mary, and what would you love them to be talking about after they leave the theatre?
There’s so many levels. On an intellectual level, it’s ambiguous as to how reliable of a narrator she is and how much of what we’re seeing is truly happening.
So that’s a great discussion to have, I love art with multiple levels of meaning.
But the character, her ultimate self-belief and confidence is unwavering. She fights, she doesn’t win all her fights, but she won’t surrender or give up who she is. Kind of admirable but also sad in a way. Come join her galaxy! You’ll see what I mean.
Credits
Play: @empressbloodymary
Featured Actor: @joseebekker
Stills credit (Including website cover): @caminada.thomas
Writer / Producer: Malcolm Roding @malcolmroding
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