Archives - November 1990

THE MURDER OF MARIA MARTEN
by Brian J. Burton

Produced by Ann Burfoot

THE PLAY

Victorian melodrama, several settings. Squire's son William Corder is pursued by Nell, a vengeful gypsy, for having caused her younger sister Zella to die of a broken heart. Her vengeance is to be a cruel one, for nothing less than Corder's death will satisfy her, and for that she uses poor Maria Marten, the mole-catcher's daughter. Foretelling love and marriage for Maria, she convinces the girl to accept the advances of William Corder.

One year later, Maria is the unmarried mother of a small child and Corder is running out of excuses to further delay marrying her. He, though, has a plan and poisons the baby, then forces Maria to help him bury the body. Nell is ready then to have him arrested and hanged, but Corder kills her before she can tell anyone what she saw. Then he arranges to wed Maria in London, but instead takes her to the nearby red barn and murders her. Maria, who still loves him, forgives him where he expected curses and Corder flees to London.

There, the guilt of his actions folows him. Maria's mother dreams of her dead daughter and forces her father to search the barn until he finds the body. Soon after, Corder is arrested in London by Nell's brother Pharos, now an officer of the law and determined to hunt down the villain. Nell appears to Corder in his cell and he repents and confesses his crimes knowing that he will be hanged for them.

FROM THE GROUP

I do love large cast plays! 14 in this one plus a vocalist and a piano player and 14 scene changes.
I cast Lee in the lead role of Maria even though she couldn't sing. So Mme Ida-Dora Mann (Judith) provided the vocals while the action on stage was frozen. Mme walking across the stage carrying scene cards also introduced the scenes. Thus we could use only furniture, with no sets. Two novel ideas which worked.
Rehearsals were hard work, but cast, crew, myself & the audiences really enjoyed the end result.

Ann - Producer

POSTER