‘You’re not stupid for wanting things to change, Fanny – it’s just that we have to play the music that gets handed to us.’
Meet Fanny Mendelssohn. You’ll probably know of her younger brother Felix, from nineteenth-century smash hits like ‘The Wedding March’. He was such a huge star that Queen Victoria requested a private concert, during which she sang her favourite of his compositions, a song called ‘Italien’.
The only problem is, that particular piece was actually composed by Fanny, though it was published under her brother’s name.
When Fanny intercepts the letter inviting Felix to play for the queen, she decides to hide it away, don her brother’s clothes, and take his place at the palace…
Calum Finlay’s play Fanny is a joyful and irreverent comedy celebrating music, family and – at last – the work of a composer overlooked because of her sex. It opened at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2024.
