Review: Mary Stuart

Elizabethan Intrigue Gets Royal Treatment
By Lauren Yarger
An entourage of seduction, intrigue, greed and deception follow Queen Elizabeth I and her imprisoned cousin Mary Stuart in Peter Oswald’s brilliant new version of Friedrich Schiller’s play Mary Stuart, getting a royal treatment on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre.

A fabulous Janet McTeer reigns as Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scotland accused of conspiring to kill her Protestant cousin Elizabeth I (Harriet Walter, in an equally riveting performance) and claim the throne of England. Elizabeth and her advisors take the next 19 years trying to figure out what to do with her: to kill her will raise rancor with the British people who have enjoyed religious peace since Elizabeth's ascension to the throne; to release Mary threatens Elizabeth's life and the rule of Protestantism.

Stripped of her freedom, most of her possessions, and allowed only the company of her friend and nurse, Hannah (Maria Tucci), Mary begs for a meeting with Elizabeth. Aiding her are the traitorous Mortimer (a delicious Chandler Williams), who is the nephew of her jailer, Sir Amias Paulet(Michael Countryman), and the queen’s favorite, the Earl of Leicester (John Benjamin Hickey), in a plot thick with and intrigue that makes it difficult to know for sure who is on which side.

The battle of deception and wits between the two “courts” is tense and compelling, even if some of the portrayals veer away from those we’ve come to expect. McTeer’s Mary is stronger and smarter than the Scottish vixen of most history books or popular movies portraying the doomed Scot monarch. Likewise, Walter’s Elizabeth is weaker and less awe-inspiring than the norm (Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth in two recent movies is the quintessential). Schiller also takes some license with Elizabeth’s advisors. One of the most influential, Francis Walsingham, is absent and Leicester, whom Elizabeth once offered in marriage to Mary, likely was in love with Elizabeth and harbored no secret feelings for the Scottish queen (I admit it, I’m a history buff when it comes to this period).

Historical nit-picking aside, however, the new version from Oswald contains dialogue that’s both lyrical and surprising modern without interfering with the 16th-century feel of the piece. The tension from both sides of the conflict, guided by director Phyllida Lloyd, is palpable and when the two queens finally meet in a really nifty rainstorm engineered by scenic and costume designer Anthony Ward, we’re not quite sure the two won’t end up in a catfight in the mud.

Ward uses all dark colors in the costuming: a somber black gown for Mary and “sun” polka Dots on black for Elizabeth. The only color comes from the scarlet gown Mary wears for her execution. The men all wear modern suits and ties. My talented director friend Misti who attended with me, suggested that the costuming might depict the men’s ability to evolve while the women are stuck in the period, which I though was a pretty savvy analysis that would not have occurred to me. Press notes later revealed, however, that the choice was triggered by limited budget resources in the show's West End production in London, where it played before opening on Broadway. Whatever its inspiration, the choice somehow works, as modern and historical blend in marvelous storytelling.

Stark black bricks are the backdrop for settings created with minimal pieces of furniture. Hugh Vanstone uses lighting and shadows to great effect, and in the scene where Elizabeth decides to sign her cousin’s death warrant, the lighting makes Mary’s head appear to float from her body.

Rounding out a really fine cast are Nicholas Woodeson, Michael Rudko, Brian Murray, Adam Greer, and Robert Stanton, who gives a terrific performance as Sir William Davidson, a young inexperienced courtier trying to figure out whether the queen really wants him to deliver Mary’s order of execution or hold on to it, knowing all the while his decision will mean the difference between needing to worry about neck sizes for the shirt under his suit or not.

Mary Stuart runs at the Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., New York through Aug. 16. For tickets, click here or visit http://www.marystuartonbroadway.com/.

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