# The Royal Exchange Theatre gets political (sort of)
- Source: The Mancunion (https://staging.mancunion.com/theatre/the-royal-exchange-theatre-gets-political-sort-of)
- By: Jay Darcy
- Published: 2022-12-08T08:00:42.000Z
- Section: Theatre
- Topics: Royal Exchange, musical, Politics, Royal Exchange Theatre, Musical Theatre, musicals, house of Commons, Black Mirror, Maxine Peake, sarah frankcom, RX, RX Theatre, Roy Alexander Weise, Shameless, Bryony Shanahn, Betty Boothroyd
**This year's festive musical at the Royal Exchange Theatre is Betty: A sort of Musical, which (sort of) tells the story of Baroness Betty Boothroyd, who is (sort of) played by Maxine Peake**

Traditionally, the Royal Exchange Theatre's Christmas musical is a revival of a classic that has not been seen in the West End or toured the UK in some time. Think *Into the Woods*, [*Sweet Charity*](https://mancunion.com/2017/01/01/review-sweet-charity/), *Guys and Dolls*, [*The Producers*](https://mancunion.com/2018/12/12/review-the-producers/), and [*Gypsy*](https://mancunion.com/2020/01/30/review-gypsy/). However, new Joint Artistic Directors [Bryony Shanahan](https://mancunion.com/2021/03/28/in-conversation-with-bryony-shanahan-artistic-director-of-the-royal-exchange/) and Roy Alexander Weise have decided to mix things up a little bit.

Last year's Christmas musical was the little-known [*The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart*](https://mancunion.com/2021/12/14/review-the-strange-undoing-of-prudencia-hart/), more a 'play-with-music' than a traditional musical. I was surprised by the show's announcement, given the theatre's usual Christmas musical, and the show itself had me *shook*. It was not your typical, funny, feel-good, festive musical, but I found it rather fabulous, nonetheless.

This year's musical is a world premiere - and, again, it isn't really a musical.

*Betty - A sort of Musical* is sort of about Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. It's a play (musical) within a play, in which an amateur theatre group attempt to put on a musical about Baroness Boothroyd OM PC.

"As the first female speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd is a Dewsbury girl to celebrate, and the five ladies (plus Calvin) of The Dewsbury Players are going to do just that... through the medium of musical theatre! Their high-kicks may be wobbly, their acting ‘enthusiastic’ and the props left over from a production of *Miss Saigon*; but, tonight, the Village Hall is their theatre of dreams! Emboldened by their heroine's indefatigable tenacity, this amateur group prove themselves to be extraordinary women on and off stage."

The *sort of musical* is written by and starring Maxine Peake and Seiriol Davies. Peake, an Associate Artist of the Royal Exchange Theatre, first performed there as the title character in *Hamlet* (years after playing Ophelia in a different production). [Peake is considered one of the finest Hamlets the country has ever seen.](https://mancunion.com/2015/09/21/famous-faces-from-in-and-around-manchester/) She then starred in *The Skriker*, [*A Streetcar Named Desire*](https://mancunion.com/2016/09/22/review-a-streetcar-named-desire/), and *Happy Days*. I caught the latter two: *Streetcar* was brilliant; *Happy Days*, meanwhile, was, well, Beckett.

Peake has had a super successful screen career, appearing in TV series such as *dinnerladies*, *Shameless*, and *Silk*. Earlier this year, she starred in two four-parters: *Anne* and *Rules of the Game*. On the big screen, she's known for *The Theory of Everything*. She also played the lead in an episode of *Black Mirror*, *Metalhead*, and nobody can forget her chilling portrayal of Myra Hindley in *See No Evil: The Moors Murders*.

*Betty* is directed by Shanahan and Weise's predecessor, Sarah Frankcom, whose professional relationship with Peake goes back years - even before Peake was an icon. Frankcom directed all of the RX productions that starred Peake so it's exciting to get another Frankcom-Peake collaboration at the RX, now that Frankcom has left the organisation.

*Betty: A sort of Musica*l began its run at the [Royal Exchange Theatre](https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/whats-on-and-tickets/betty-a-sort-of-musical) on December 3; it runs until January 14.