Fire of Love | Margery Kempe

The Fire of Love on Stage

The poster advertising the premiere run of 'The Fire of Love.'

Mystic, hysteric, saint or sham, Margery Kempe comes centre stage in my play The Fire of Love. Recently premièred in Wells-next-the-Sea, near Kempe's home town of Kings Lynn in Norfolk, UK, my play keeps Kempe's contradictions in tension, as she herself did.

She certainly had a volatile imagination. For example, pregnant and nursing women excited her as reminders - or apparitions - of the Virgin Mary and The Fire of Love has a scene in which she serves as midwife at Christ's nativity, unaware that the real-life 'Mary' has left the room.

The photos below from the première show midwife Kempe (Evette Price) so engrossed in her own reality as to make it real for the audience, too. ‘The Lord need a wider way than that,' she tells the imagined young mother. 'Tha’s no more’n a keyhole!’

A dramatic scene in which Kempe interrupts a walk with her husband to mimic their priest

Kempe and a pregnant woman she takes to be Jesus's mother Mary.

Kempe goes through the motions of delivering Jesus, though the birthing table (an altar) is empty.

The birthing complete, Kempe takes the baby in her own arms and judging Mary too young to have much milk proposes to put him to her own breast, greatly offending an onlooking priest.

Margery enacts nursing the new-born baby Jesus at her own breast.

In a later vision Kempe sees Jesus’ crucifixion, and relates it with details starker and more intense than those of the gospel accounts, becoming hysterical as she shares his anguish. After his death she tries in vain to comfort his mother and in poignant despair offers her 'a nice hot drink.'

Based on claims she makes in her Book, my final act tries Kempe on a charge of blasphemous obscenity with the audience as jurors. The final curtain leaves them to reach individual verdicts - if they can!

Kempe, as seen in the première of 'The Fire of Love,' hysterical with grief over the torments suffered by the crucified Christ.

Good reading, great theatre

With a cast of ten or a dozen, The Fire of Love appeals to amateur and professional groups alike, including open-minded church groups.

The Fire of Love script is available here. The cover (above) shows Kempe in happier times - embarrassing her husband by mimicking their priest!

To see what others have made of the play see this review.

For other creative responses to Kempe visit Agony and Ecstasy, or to tell me what she means to you please get in touch.

Tony D Triggs