An Emergency Trip to Broadway

The CBs were surprised when it was announced that Desire Under the Elms was closing at the end of May- a full six weeks early. Surprised and irritated because our tickets were for early June, we decided that an emergency pre-Tony trip to Broadway was needed.. We started planning for a one night visit which quickly morphed into a three night, four show visit! We want to see as many nominated shows and performances as possible before The Tony’s on June 7th, and this short trip would let us squeeze a few more in before our longer trip in June.

So, last Tuesday night we went to see the historical drama, Mary Stuart. This play, a huge hit in London last year, was written in 1800 by Friederich Schiller. The timeless nature of political power games makes this play as relevant as Frost/Nixon was a couple of seasons ago. Stories of Elizabethan England and Henry VIII never get old! The play takes place after Mary has been imprisoned in England for years for plotting against Queen Elizabeth. The two queens (especially Mary) were raised in the public eye, so their gestures are grand and their speech is dramatic, making it a perfect story for the stage. Both women are well played by the British actresses Harriet Walter (as Elizabeth) and Tony winner Janet McTeer (as Mary). Mary is passionate and loud, while Elizabeth is controlled and crisp. One amazing scene revolves around a face-off between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I. This meeting never actually occurred, but it makes for great theater as these two powerhouses jockey for power during a wonderfully simulated rainstorm. Mary is drenched, but the cooler Elizabeth stays dry under umbrellas held over her by her entourage.

The direction by Phyllida Lloyd (amazingly enough she also directed the movie Mama Mia!) is a bit unusual with the two queens wear period dress, but all the men wear contemporary grey suits. Leslie found this annoying and distracting, but it didn't bother me so much. The men do so much maneuvering and backroom theatrics that it seems like they are the Wall Street power brokers and political spin-meisters of today. The supporting cast is very strong with great performances from John Benjamin Hickey as the Earl of Leicester and Nicholas Woodeson as Lord Burleigh. Overall, a great production worth seeing . .