The Story in a Nutshell
BANG! looks at the story of England's famed Gunpowder Plot from another angle, focusing on a forbidden love between Guy’s wife Maria (of whom little is known) and his faithful friend Francis Tresham – the other ‘guy’ who supposedly caused the failure of the plot by warning his brother-in-law Lord Monteagle about the plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
The musical blends fact with a sprinkling of fiction to imagine how the events might have played out behind the scenes. Between the heartfelt love songs are bawdy ballads and a humorous take on the (Scottish) King James I of England, which sees him as a wannabe Freddie Mercury.
Guy Fawkes is away from home, fighting in Flanders for the Catholic Spanish army, leaving Maria behind in London with their nine-year old son, Thomas. Maria’s childhood sweetheart and true love, Francis Tresham, is also in London. His sense of honour and religious conviction only allow him to protect her in her husband’s absence.
Meanwhile, the political temperature is rising. The Protestant King James I of England is cracking down on the practice of Catholicism. Forced to be second class citizens in their own country, English Catholics are desperate to change the status quo – and a few of them are desperate enough to do something extreme.
A group of Catholic aristocrats conspire to take revenge. Their plan is to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the State Opening, thereby killing all the Royal family and all the Bishops of the Church of England. But they need an expert on arms and gunpowder. On Guy Fawkes’ return to England, he is persuaded to join them and the infamous date is set.
Back at home, however, the cracks in Guy’s marriage are surfacing. After a chance meeting, Francis and Maria have allowed their true feelings free rein. Encouraged by Maria’s revelation that Thomas is actually Francis’ child, the pair initially decide to let Guy risk life and limb and plan their escape together. But Francis is overcome by remorse, torn between betraying his friend to be with his one true love, and doing everything he can to keep Guy with his wife – and that includes being the one to light the fuse.
Will his decision change the course of history?