Past Reviews Regional Reviews: Seattle A Royally Entertaining Mary Stuart Holds Court Also see David's review of Take Me America and Interview with Tommy Tune
Delve into your history books for more background on the plot, but suffice to say that, after a necessarily slow start to set up the who's who of it, Oswald's adaptation envelopes us in the intrigues surrounding Mary's incarceration in England on charges relating to the death of her husband, but actually pertaining more to the threat to Elizabeth of a Catholic led rebellion which would place Mary in the power position. Queens or not, the men in these royal ladies' lives are still the key movers and shakers, and their plotting and machinations are as current as today's political headlines. Allgood is a quiet tigress of a Mary, who springs into attack mode when reasoning fails. Bouchard is the vain-glorious Elizabeth you anticipate, then surprises with insights into the monarch's vulnerable aspects. Their lengthy scene together is all one hopes it will be, each actress spurring the other on to set the stage ablaze with their most deft performances. Very nearly stealing the show, however, is Joshua Carter as Mortimer, a savory performance of encroaching madness in the service of Mary, whom he ultimately repels. R. Hamilton Wright has his finest hour in recent memory with a sterling performance as Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Peter Crook is spellbinding as the crafty Lord Burleigh, and Marianne Owen creates a starchily sympathetic figure as Mary's devoted Nurse Hanna. Kudos as well to the well-crafted work of Allan Michael Barlow as Mary's guardian Amias Paulet, Terry Edward Moore as Mary's house steward Melvil, and Allen Fitzpatrick as George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury. Pappas, always an actor's director par excellence simply has outdone himself with this amazing company.
Robert A Dahlstrom's set easily overcomes the challenges of staging in the intimate Allen Theatre, with a design that is opulent yet understated. ML Geiger's lighting design is a feast for the eyes, and Frances Kenny's cunningly clever costuming has the Queens in traditional garb, while the rest of the cast is in businessman modern dress. If any show in recent memory has made me want to pay it a return visit, it would be Mary Stuart. A rousing cheer to one and all for a job masterfully done! Mary Stuart performs at ACT through October 9th. For tickets or information, contact the ACT box office at 206-292-7676 or visit them online at www.acttheatre.org.
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