The main buzz about Johanna Gallagher’s new play, Queen of the Bees, premiered at the Sanctuary Theatre this week, came from the sound effects. What was likeable about the show was Gallagher’s lyrical account of being connected with nature. This quality as reminiscent of the more brilliant drama, The Outrun, an Edinburgh Festival hit a year ago. Here after an apiarist hit the stage, scattering fake bees, there was a silent period in which Ellie, the main character acted by Gallagher, foraged in the greenery onstage. This worked, although was maybe a tad long.
What did not work was the sense of her relationship with the dead beekeeper, who was ill for a while and needed caring for at the end. Ellie doesn’t name them, but talks animatedly about wrapping them in a blanket and watching TV together, the remaining good times. You imagine this was her mother, that’s the way the link suggests itself, so it’s a shock when we learn it was her husband, Jimmy. This aspect of the play needs looking at and tweaking; a remembered kiss or cuddle would have clarified things, instead of the girlish reminiscence.
The other problem, making this a theatrical version of a B-movie, was the other two characters introduced by Johanna Gallagher. Frank arrives, a Ballymena guy wanting bees to sting his wife Susan as the venom could help stave off the worse symptoms of her illness. Boys a dear, they were fine caricatures but although there ere potentially touching scenes between Ellie and Susan, these elements didn’t fit with the main narrative.
This was largely a question of tone and Johanna Gallagher sometimes got laughs when she shouldn’t have. This was unfortunate as we were learning of Susan and Frank’s plight. But there were nice lines about the bees being a presence and a force, and nice moments, always to do with the connection to the bees, and the ending, when the new beekeeper Ellie gains a brand new queen bee who sings to her, was quite touching. The bee facts were interesting too, with the classical notion included about telling the bees when key events, weddings, births and deaths, have occurred.
When Johanna Gallagher writes her next play, she should concentrate on the emotional side of things maybe, rather than the easy comedy.
Jane Hardy
2 comments
(I submitted this comment last Friday about Jane Hardy’s review of Queen of the Bees, but it hasn’t yet been approved and published. Hopefully it will be approved and published soon, as it would be quite ironic if Belfast Times refused to publish my comment because it’s a bit critical of Jane Hardy’s review! Here is my comment again:)
Jane, in your YouTube review of this new play by a new writer, you said, “I think it’s good to foster the new generation”. In this Belfast Times review, although you made some good points, I think you could have attempted to be a bit more fostering. I very much enjoyed Queen of the Bees, so I copied and pasted your review into ChatGPT, and I asked ChatGPT: “Could you re-write this review of a theatre play without changing anything that is said in it, but just changing the way it is said, so that it comes across as more positive and more fostering.” [Please note my clear instruction: “without changing anything that is said in it”.] Here is the very interesting and much more fostering result – without changing anything that is said, just changing the way it is said:
“Review: Queen of the Bees by Johanna Gallagher
Sanctuary Theatre
Johanna Gallagher’s new play, Queen of the Bees, which premiered this week at the Sanctuary Theatre, generated much of its buzz from the inventive use of sound effects — an engaging element that drew the audience into the world of the piece from the start.
What stood out in particular was Gallagher’s lyrical and poetic evocation of the natural world, a quality that gave the production a meditative and immersive quality. At times, this evoked memories of The Outrun, the celebrated Edinburgh Festival production from last year, which similarly explored the pull of nature in a deeply personal way.
One memorable moment involved an apiarist entering the stage and scattering fake bees, followed by a quietly powerful sequence in which Ellie — the central character, played by Gallagher herself — foraged slowly and deliberately in the greenery onstage. This section worked well, providing a pause for reflection and atmosphere, though a slight trim might help maintain the pacing.
The play also explored Ellie’s past relationship with a now-deceased beekeeper who had been unwell and required care towards the end of their life. Gallagher presents these memories through tender storytelling, as Ellie recalls wrapping them in a blanket and watching TV together — warm and intimate moments. While the character is not named initially, audiences may assume she is referring to her mother, so the later reveal that this figure was her husband, Jimmy, arrives unexpectedly. With a few gentle adjustments — perhaps a clearer emotional or physical memory — this relationship could be clarified and deepened for even greater emotional impact.
Two additional characters are introduced — Frank, a man from Ballymena, and his wife, Susan, who is ill and exploring the healing potential of bee venom. These characters brought humour and offered moments of potential emotional connection, particularly in scenes between Ellie and Susan. However, their storyline occasionally felt slightly at odds with the main narrative. With further refinement of tone, these scenes could be better integrated.
That said, the play offered many thoughtful and touching moments, especially in its depictions of bees not just as creatures but as a symbolic force — a presence woven through the story. The final scene, in which Ellie is gifted a new queen bee who sings to her, had a quiet emotional power that resonated. The factual elements about bees were fascinating too, particularly the reference to the ancient custom of “telling the bees” about life’s milestones — births, marriages, deaths — which added a rich folkloric dimension.
Looking ahead, it would be exciting to see Gallagher focus more on the emotional threads in her future work, as these were some of the most compelling and resonant aspects of Queen of the Bees. The lyrical voice and strong instinct for atmosphere are already in place — and with some tonal fine-tuning, Gallagher is clearly a playwright to watch."
Jane, in your YouTube review of this new play by a new writer, you said, “I think it’s good to foster the new generation”. In this Belfast Times review, although you’ve made some good points, I think you could have attempted to be a bit more fostering. I very much enjoyed Queen of the Bees, so I copied and pasted your review into ChatGPT, and I asked ChatGPT: “Could you re-write this review of a theatre play without changing anything that is said in it, but just changing the way it is said, so that it comes across as more positive and more fostering.” [Please note my clear instruction: “without changing anything that is said in it”.] Here is the very interesting and more fostering result – without changing anything that is said, just changing the way it is said:
“Review: Queen of the Bees by Johanna Gallagher
Sanctuary Theatre
Johanna Gallagher’s new play, Queen of the Bees, which premiered this week at the Sanctuary Theatre, generated much of its buzz from the inventive use of sound effects — an engaging element that drew the audience into the world of the piece from the start.
What stood out in particular was Gallagher’s lyrical and poetic evocation of the natural world, a quality that gave the production a meditative and immersive quality. At times, this evoked memories of The Outrun, the celebrated Edinburgh Festival production from last year, which similarly explored the pull of nature in a deeply personal way.
One memorable moment involved an apiarist entering the stage and scattering fake bees, followed by a quietly powerful sequence in which Ellie — the central character, played by Gallagher herself — foraged slowly and deliberately in the greenery onstage. This section worked well, providing a pause for reflection and atmosphere, though a slight trim might help maintain the pacing.
The play also explored Ellie’s past relationship with a now-deceased beekeeper who had been unwell and required care towards the end of their life. Gallagher presents these memories through tender storytelling, as Ellie recalls wrapping them in a blanket and watching TV together — warm and intimate moments. While the character is not named initially, audiences may assume she is referring to her mother, so the later reveal that this figure was her husband, Jimmy, arrives unexpectedly. With a few gentle adjustments — perhaps a clearer emotional or physical memory — this relationship could be clarified and deepened for even greater emotional impact.
Two additional characters are introduced — Frank, a man from Ballymena, and his wife, Susan, who is ill and exploring the healing potential of bee venom. These characters brought humour and offered moments of potential emotional connection, particularly in scenes between Ellie and Susan. However, their storyline occasionally felt slightly at odds with the main narrative. With further refinement of tone, these scenes could be better integrated.
That said, the play offered many thoughtful and touching moments, especially in its depictions of bees not just as creatures but as a symbolic force — a presence woven through the story. The final scene, in which Ellie is gifted a new queen bee who sings to her, had a quiet emotional power that resonated. The factual elements about bees were fascinating too, particularly the reference to the ancient custom of “telling the bees” about life’s milestones — births, marriages, deaths — which added a rich folkloric dimension.
Looking ahead, it would be exciting to see Gallagher focus more on the emotional threads in her future work, as these were some of the most compelling and resonant aspects of Queen of the Bees. The lyrical voice and strong instinct for atmosphere are already in place — and with some tonal fine-tuning, Gallagher is clearly a playwright to watch."