Review: Victoria: A Queen Unbound at The Watermill Theatre offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on a royal story
The Watermill Theatre is always a beautiful setting, but arriving for Victoria: A Queen Unbound, it felt especially striking. With spring just beginning and daffodils lining the River Lambourn beside the theatre, it set the tone perfectly for the evening ahead.
Written by Daisy Goodwin, best known as the creator of ITV’s Victoria, this new play takes a different approach to a familiar story. Rather than presenting a straightforward royal love story, it explores the question of whether Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert was as ideal as history has often suggested.
The play is framed around an older Victoria, nearing the end of her life, played by Amanda Boxer. As she reflects on her diaries, scenes from her younger years are brought to life in front of her. Jessica Rhodes plays the younger Victoria, with Rowan Polonski as Albert, re-enacting key moments as the older Queen watches on.
This device works particularly well, not only bringing the past to life but also questioning it. At times, the younger Victoria challenges her older self, adding a sense that memory itself may not always be reliable. It creates an interesting tension between how events were recorded and how they may have actually unfolded.
Amanda Boxer is excellent as the older Victoria, delivering a performance that feels both physically and emotionally authentic. Jessica Rhodes brings real energy to the younger Queen, capturing both her vulnerability and her frustration, while Rowan Polonski’s Albert is carefully balanced, avoiding a clear portrayal as either villain or simply a man shaped by circumstance.
What makes the play particularly engaging is that it never settles on a simple answer. Victoria is not presented as purely a victim, but nor is she entirely likeable. Some of the biggest laughs come from her sharp, often cutting remarks about her children, both as they grow up and into adulthood. While these moments add humour, they also reveal a colder side to her character.
It leaves you questioning whether this is simply who she is, or whether it is a version of herself shaped by her situation. At times, Albert’s behaviour suggests a level of control, particularly as he takes on more of Victoria’s duties and influence within the household, as well as the removal of her close confidante Baroness Lehzen from her life. At other moments, it feels more like frustration or a search for purpose. The play allows both interpretations to sit side by side, making it possible to see Victoria as both difficult and, at the same time, constrained by the world around her. It also reflects how difficult it can be to define or recognise coercive control, particularly when it sits alongside care, duty or what may appear to be support.
With a cast of six, the production feels intimate but never limited. The staging is particularly effective, with a clever reflective set that shifts to reveal deeper layers of the scene. These transitions drew audible reactions from the audience, with more than one person remarking on how effective they were.
The attention to detail in the costumes was also clear, particularly in the dresses worn by the younger Victoria, which added to the overall sense of quality in the production.
Alongside Amanda Boxer, Jessica Rhodes and Rowan Polonski, the cast also includes Stephen Fewell as Bertie, Lydia Bakelmun as Beatrice and Steve Chusak as Dr Reid, all contributing to a well-balanced and engaging ensemble.
While the play does explore some darker and more uncomfortable aspects of Victoria’s life, it is balanced with moments of humour and sharp observation. The result is a production that feels thoughtful without being heavy, and one that encourages the audience to reconsider a story they may think they already know.
Victoria: A Queen Unbound runs at The Watermill Theatre until 9 May 2026.
For tickets, contact the box office on 01635 46044 or visit www.watermill.org.uk
All images : Pamela Raith Photography