![]() ![]() You could hear a pin drop in the audience so fascinating are the story and the character’s interactions. Mary Stuart is a powerful production, and it is flawless. ![]() Maria Ciarrocchi as Queen Elizabeth I, Sarah Cusenza as Mary Stuart, Sally Cusenza as Hannah Kennedy, Paul Donahoe as George Talbot. I was totally taken with the acting brilliance of Sarah Cusenza whose Scottish accent was spot on and who held the stage with tremendous aplomb. Since the play centers around Mary, it must have a strong actress, one who will imbue her performance with deep emotion and the gravitas befitting her role as a queen. Both women so young and with extraordinary power. Although she was brought up in the lap of luxury and culture in France, she returned to Scotland and ascended to the throne at a mere girl of 19. Mary was a mere six days old when her father James V of Scotland died, and she was the only living heir. At that time a woman had never reigned in England before. We must remember how very young these women were when they took the throne. Maria Ciarrocchi is Queen Elizabeth I.(Photo by Matt Liptak) Mary in prison and Elizabeth in obeisance to her countrymen, “O, appalling servitude,” she laments. As the conniving Lord Burleigh ( John Henderson) tells Elizabeth when a plot to murder her is revealed, “You must kill or be killed.” But whom should Elizabeth trust among the flatterers and sycophants? She has already survived three assassination attempts on her life. ![]() Conspiracy, double dealing, spying, jealousy and murder are all on the table in this riveting political drama by author Peter Oswald. Set in the 16 th century, the play draws from a Shakespearean style of drama to reflect the bloody history within castle walls. Will it be more favorable to her reputation if she is seen to be sympathetic to Mary? Should she let her return unharmed to Scotland or show her the scaffold? If you know your history, you’ll know how that played out. Plagued by the divergent views of her lords, she vacillates on what to do with Mary. As for the never-married “Virgin Queen” Elizabeth, it seems she came away with some wisdom after witnessing the knavish ways of good old dad and decided to keep single. Wacky six-time wedded Henry even called his daughter Elizabeth a bastard child, but she wound up with the throne so sticks and stones didn’t throw shade on her after all. In 1587 England is in a precarious state since Henry VIII divorced as a Catholic (Heaven forfend!) and converted to Protestantism. Paul Donahoe as George Talbot, Maria Ciarrocchi as Queen Elizabeth I, and Thomas O’Neill as Robert Dudley. Support Good News Journalism, Subscribe > ![]()
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