Cirrus@Austlit

'Two queens. One crown.

'One of history’s great rivalries. A battle of wits, blood and broken hearts, now reinvented for the stage in majestic scale – the iconic tale of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England.

'Caroline Brazier (Dinner, ABC’s Rake) is Mary and Helen Thomson (The Harp in the South) is Elizabeth. Two flawed and fascinating women locked in a monumental, murderous feud. The stakes couldn’t be higher. An empire is in jeopardy. A queen’s life hangs in the balance.

'This world premiere production is a finely-tuned spectacle. Guided by award-winning director Lee Lewis, the creative team bring outstanding female perspective and wit to this new adaptation by Kate Mulvany (The Harp in the South). Opulent period-inspired costume and ingenious design reveal both the grandeur and danger of Elizabethan England.

'With plot twists and political intrigue, Mary Stuart transcends its 16th century origins. Based in historical truth, the story is punctuated with an extraordinary and pivotal imagined event; a face-to-face meeting between the two queens. They are each other’s equal – smart, strong, sexy and determined to survive. These heroines were our feminist forbears.

'Following an uprising, Mary has fled Scotland only to be imprisoned in England. Elizabeth feels threatened – Mary is younger, more beloved, and with her own claim to the throne.

'In a world dominated by double-crossing men, these remarkable monarchs scheme and struggle to hold on to power. Do they have more in common than they realise? In another life, another time, the cousins might have been friends. The question now is whether Elizabeth will release Mary – or execute her.' (Production summary)