| . | 04/29/2009
Mary Stuart
By: Andy Smith
Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter
photo by Joan Marcus
A pared-down production as austere as the economy, The Donmar Warehouse’s minimalist staging of Frederich Schiller’s 1800 court drama Mary Stuart offers three engrossing hours of intrigue, without the attendant fuss and pomp of a lavish period piece.
Now playing through August at the Broadhurst Theatre, this import is adroitly directed by Phyllida Lloyd, best known for helming the stage and film versions of Mamma Mia! Don’t let that credential deter you, however, Lloyd has directed innovative productions for the RSC and numerous operas, excellent training for the outsized emotions of this piece’s characters.
Set in 1587, during the height of the Protestant Reformation, Mary Stuart pits the title character – a Catholic Queen who has fled her native Scotland after a Protestant coup, against her distant cousin, Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, declared illegitimate after her mother’s execution. Rather than offering asylum to the fleeing Mary, Elizabeth imprisoned the deposed regent, who posed a major threat both as a Catholic with strong ties to France and as a royal with an arguably stronger claim to the thrown than the sitting queen.
Adding salt to the thin-skinned monarch’s wounds, Mary, who held the thrones of Scotland and France at different times, was also a renowned beauty, a decade younger than the queen.
Schiller’s play (well adapted by Peter Oswald) takes place during the final days of Mary’s life, as she stands trial for treason and seeks mercy from her cousin. Though largely based on fact, the shrewd playwright added a dramatic public confrontation between Elizabeth, riding with the hunt, and Mary, conveniently released from prison to enjoy a day in the park.
Money Well Spent
Originally written for a cast of 50, Lloyd’s production has cut the cast by approximately 80%, nipped Schiller’s lavish court scenes and tucked a few sections of flowery language, without substantially altering the play. A limited budget necessitates this creative austerity plan, but it continues to work even on the Broadhurst’s large stage, which features a series of unadorned benches against a backdrop of black-washed brick.
And while all the male characters perform in modern dress (three-piece suits for Elizabeth’s advisors; cargo pants and black T’s for traitors on the run), Mary and Elizabeth are both bedecked in striking period attire—a distinctive red dress for Mary and a black cloak adorned with muted yellow circles for the Queen. Walter’s wardrobe is splendid, but in the spirit of this production, never ornate; costumer Anthony Ward wisely leaves out the overabundance of jewelry, headdresses, ruffs, etc. the virgin queen favored.
After the showdown between the leads, the evening’s second biggest splash comes from a dazzling special effect: a 12-minute rainstorm, created by British special effects wiz William Elliot, who staged a similar cloudburst during the production’s West End run. Over 400 gallons of water drench the stage, and, as if by magic, disappear before the next scene.
Peerless Leads
While many actors have won acclaim playing these characters over the past century, it’s hard to picture a better duo than the towering McTeer and the tiny Walter as the title character and the Queen Elizabeth I, respectively.
Returning to Broadway for the first time since her Tony winning turning as Nora in A Doll’s House (1997), McTeer is the better known of the duo to the majority of American audience members, for her Oscar nominated role in Tumbleweeds to a number of BBC productions that have aired in the U.S., most recently her strong work as a hard-drinking cop facing retirement in “Five Days.” That rare performer who seems completely at home in period works and the grittiest of modern productions, McTeer is mesmerizing throughout.
So many actors have put their mark on Queen Elizabeth I, from Bernhardt to Bette Davis during the first half of the 20th Century to Glenda Jackson and Cate Blanchette in the second. Yet throughout the evening, Walter puts her own unique spin on the role—by turns strong, vulnerable, waffling and decisive, Walter’s regent manipulates the men around her with Machiavellian dexterity worthy of any modern corporate playbook.
Though generally competent, the cast’s men pale next to the female leads. As the charismatic Earl of Leicester, a double agent wooing both Elizabeth and her imprisoned cousin, John Benjamin Hickey has the strongest male role and rises to the challenge.
Maria Tucci (a Tony nominee for The Rose Tattoo) is excellent as Stuart’s loyal nurse, reinforcing Mary’s birthright, forgiving her mistresses’ flaws and constantly pushing her toward greatness.
While almost completely unlike The Tudors, Showtime’s lavish, glamorized take on Elizabeth’s father and his succession of wives, for many viewers, Schiller’s drama will have the same effect – leaving journeymen history buffs eager to fill in the gaps and fascinated neophytes hungry to learn more about the larger-than life rulers who helped make England a world power. through August at The Broadhurst Theater at 235 W. 44th St. For tickets, visit http://www.marystuartonbroadway.com
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