MARY STUART To 30 May.
Mold.
MARY STUART
by Friedrich Schiller new version by Mike Poulton.
Clwyd Theatr Cymru (Anthony Hopkins Theatre) To 30 May 2009.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm; Mats Sat 2.30pm.
Audio-described 28 May.
Captioned 23 May 2.30pm.
Post-show discussion 21, 28 May.
Runs: 2hr 30min - One interval.
TICKETS: 0845 330 3565.
www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk
Review: Stoon 13 May 2009.
3 Lions…2 Queens…1 Throne…Death by Checkmate: seriously recommended.
This is a rich slab of history, superbly staged and at times totally gripping.
Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 play pits the Protestant Elizabeth I against her prisoner and potential rival, the Catholic Mary Stuart Then there’s jockeying for position at Court, where allegiances shift by the hour. This lot wouldn’t fiddle their expense claims; they’d hang the cashier.
Elizabeth’s Secretary-henchman Burghley is played with sombre menace by Owen Teale. Edward Mortimer (Lee Haven-Jones) pledges himself to Mary, becoming infatuated – his ultra-servility is as hysterical as gallant. The Earl of Leicester (Steffan Rhodri) sits astride a fence with annoyingly calculated balance, ready to leap whichever side is rosiest (or least thorny), while Joshua Richards’ Earl of Shrewsbury is the voice of reason Elizabeth openly values.
William Davison (Guy Lewis), her trusted undersecretary, despite being mostly silent, extracts audience sympathy with his cameo of absolute terror as Elizabeth passes the buck over Mary’s survival to him. John Cording plays Elizabeth’s envoy and fixer Paulet with requisite diplomatic deftness.
Ultimately, the production rests on the two queens. Both Clare Price’s Elizabeth and Marina Hands’ Mary are worthy of Royal Appointment. Elizabeth is haunted by insecurity, as Mary retains a loyal following. You sense she wishes Mary no harm, yet is too shrewd to be ruled by sentiment.
Mary’s highly emotional introduction gradually subsides. Hers is the moral victory; by the end the threat of death holds no fear. Hands is best in her opening address, when we glimpse shades of derangement, and her encounter with her rival – “Dirt is your destiny, for out of the dirt you came!” she spits to a shaken Elizabeth.
Whilst the narrative isn’t epic, Terry Hands’ production is, portraying the significance of what we witness. We sense the threat from Rome, and the Catholic unrest that may result from Mary’s execution. The already ample main stage is extended; it dazzles when transformed into Elizabeth’s Court, exuding heavenly white radiance through a beautifully lit white floor
The real pity lies in the way both Elizabeth and Mary are effectively imprisoned by the male conspiracy surrounding them: Queens? Pawns more like.
Margaret Kurl: Catrin Aaron.
Count Aubespine/Captain: Wayne Cater.
Sir Amyas Paulet,: John Cording.
Edward Mortimer: Lee Haven-Jones.
Mary Stuart: Marina Hands.
Robert Melville: Gwyn Vaughan Jones.
William Davison: Guy Lewis.
Hannah Kennedy: Vivienne Moore.
Queen Elizabeth I: Claire Price.
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester: Steffan Rhodri.
George Talbot/Earl of Shrewsbury, Joshua Richards.
Cecil/Lord Burghley: Owen Teale.
Director/Lighting: Terry Hands.
Designer: Max Jones.
Composer: Colin Towns.
Sound: Mathew Williamson.
2009-05-17 01:56:39