ìMary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off,” by Scottish playwright Liz Lochead opened this Wednesday, Feb. 24 at the Freedlander Theatre and will continue to run this Friday and Saturday at 8:15 p.m.
The play centers around the relationship between Mary Queen of Scots (Amanda Keith í11) and her first cousin, Elizabeth I of England (Bridget Hillyer í12). La Corbie (Nina Tak·cs í11) is the storyteller, taking on the form of a crow who quietly and beautifully informs the audience of the tension and actions taking place.
As lords and nobles vie for power and attention from Mary, she finds herself constantly denounced by the protestant reformist John Knox (Owen Reynolds í11), who wants the Catholic queen to give up her power and return it to the people.
Throughout the play, all the actors assume multiple identities of colorful characters, with Hillyer and Keith switching back and forth as the servants of the queens during more profound moments. Hillyer portrayed a very fierce and decisive Elizabeth, while Keith successfully captured a delicate but fine upstanding Mary.
Tak·cs delivers a powerful performance as La Corbie; she was the driving force of the story. Likewise, Reynolds was commanding and very frightening as John Knox, you could also guess what he was up to next.
While most critics may label this as a historical drama, it is much more than that. According to director Penny Cole, ìIt is a major focus on the struggle for power and the choices they need to make as women or queens.”
Cole is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She is teaching Celtic Theatre this spring semester which explores the history of theatre in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Cole also mentioned that Mary is traditionally viewed as an innocent martyr who stood by as others plotted schemes around her. She intends to shed light on a new side of the doomed queen.
The dialogue is a mix of refined English accents, and Scots, a traditional language of Scotland. I carefully listened to the well spoken Scottish and English accents, which helped me understand the action and tension occurring on the stage. Audience members will find a set of basic Scot vocabulary in their programs.
Actorsí bios are replaced by a historical review of the characters, giving necessary background information. I would recommend reviewing the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, as it plays an important part in the final scene of the show.
Instead of presenting the performance by using all of the seats in Freedlander, the department of Theatre and Dance decided to push the audience on the stage as a theatre in the round. The flags of England and Scotland appeared to have been placed to appear as if you stepped into the world of a carnival or festival.
On the floor is a map of the two countries, with moveable platforms that consistently shaped the troubled world of the two queens.
Nathan Comstock í10 designed the set for his senior independent study, which questions how scenic design can aid an audience in understanding the the cultural and history of highly nationalistic play.
Comstock notes that ìthe platforms, painted like pieces of flags, are constantly moving and shifting. A flag is a construct, like a nation. Nothing about it is set in stone.”
As the actors used every extent of the stage, leaving no corner untouched, I was impressed with their familiarity of the space.
It felt as if they were truely living and breathing in their own world and I was invited to participated in it. I wanted to literally step into their world and live it. I highly recommend you try and do the same too.
To celebrate Scottish heritage and life, a Ceilidh (pronounced ìkay-lee”), or party festival will be happening in Shoolroy theatre after tonightís performance. Audience members who purchase a ticket for the show are invited to attend the Ceilidh.