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'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)
Sydney Theatre Company world premiere at Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay, New South Wales : 5 February - 2 March 2019.
Presented by Performing Lines WA at the Heath Ledger Theatre, Perth, 9 - 26 February 2022, as part of the Perth Festival.
Director: Mel Cantwell.
Designers: Bruce McKinven & Amalia Lambert.
Lighting Designer: Matthew Marshall.
Composer: Rachael Dease.
Sound Designer: Georgia Snudden.
Cast: Kate Walsh, Caroline Brazier, Humphrey Bower, Raj Labade, Kyle Morrison, Igor Sas, George Shevtsov, Dalip Sondhi, Peter Holland, Angelina Curtis.
'This is a highly original and quite thrilling adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 play. It reminds us that when we revive a classic we should not ask how we do justice to it, but what’s in it for us. Kate Mulvany has taken this epic tragedy about the conflict between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots and turned it on its head.' (Introduction)
'Kate Mulvany’s adaptation of Mary Stuartshares with the recent film starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie a desire to portray rival monarchs Mary and Elizabeth I as sisters pitted against each other by the patriarchy.' (Introduction)
'This is a highly original and quite thrilling adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 play. It reminds us that when we revive a classic we should not ask how we do justice to it, but what’s in it for us. Kate Mulvany has taken this epic tragedy about the conflict between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots and turned it on its head.' (Introduction)
'Kate Mulvany’s adaptation of Mary Stuartshares with the recent film starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie a desire to portray rival monarchs Mary and Elizabeth I as sisters pitted against each other by the patriarchy.' (Introduction)
