The Ballad of Maria Marten

The Ballad of Maria Marten is a really interesting play. Based on a real-life event, it tells the story of a young girl who was murdered in 1827 and buried in a red barn in Suffolk. It not only looks at what happens to her, but at the attitudes towards women at this time, class and societal pressures.

No violence is ever shown on stage and the account of what happened to her is presented to the audience by Maria herself, both through dialogue and through Maria narrating, so you understand how she feels about her murder, before, during and after it happens. With Maria being the central voice around the circumstances that led up to her own murder, we understand the relationships she had with the people in her life, especially with men and how she was treated. Flintoff's unique storytelling really brings the notorious events to life, and I was so engrossed.