In 1992, Betty Boothroyd became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. Five decades before that, the now 93-year-old was a professional dancer in the Tiller Girls troupe. A foot infection put an end to her dancing days, so she pirouetted to politics. Maxine Peake and Seiriol Davies have taken Boothroyd as inspiration for their new musical. The show is circuitous—it’s about an amateur drama society in Dewberry, Boothroyd’s home town, and their fumbling attempt to make a musical about her. (That Tiller Girl past is quite convenient.) A portrait of Boothroyd looms over the stage while each member of the theater troupe attempts to distill the politician’s life into a song. Peake and Davies appear in the show, and Sarah Frankcom directs. —Jensen Davis