Janet McTeer LITERALLY stops "Mary Stuart"

Saw the matinee yesterday (Saturday, April 1. This is one of the most riveting, beautifully staged dramas I have seen in quite some time and Walter and McTeer should recieve a joint Tony Award for their efforts. What incredible, breathtaking and astonishing work from these two incredible actresses.

About 15 minutes into the performance, McTeer, as Mary Stuart, seated in a chair and fighting 6 men in a brutal verbal battle, suddenly couldn't breathe. She was getting incredibly heated in the scene and building to a point of complete breakdown. Seated in the front row, I could see the beads of sweat pouring down her face and her throat muscles incredibly bulging. You could tell that she was at the peak of her game and delivering something astounding. Unitl...

"I'm sorry." I wasn't sure if it was part of the play or not. The sudden moodshift was incredible. "I'm sorry," she said again. She stood up and looked right at me and then the rest of the audience, "I am so sorry. I need water. Someone get me water. I need a glass of water." She walked offstage, clinging to her costars and then to the brick wall and an actor turned to the audience and apologized, saying we're taking a little break.

After a moment, she returned with a plastic Dixie cup of water. She sat back down, turned to her scene partner and said, "Cue me in." She picked up exactly where she left off, with the same full-throttle, whollop of emotion she left off at.

I've never seen anything like it in my life.

Was anyone else there?

---

It was very odd and very wonderful.

Regardless, what a performance. She is not to be missed. It is a master class in acting.

---

I never though I'd live to see the day when serious theater would deserve a phrase like "I hope the show rocks the reviews".

It's like the time I asked directions to a particular church in New Jerseyand the yooung man said, "Keep drivin' up the hill and you'll see a huge ****1ng cross on top of the building." I corrected his error and thanked him before I followed his directions.

---

What do you mean "old"? This just happened yesterday.

Also: Dollypop, I was thinking the same thing!

---

Oh it's just a stupid saying dollypop who cares. It's a freaking message board!

I was there, sitting in the fourth row center orchestra. I thought that McTeer stopped because she was hyperventilating. The people next to me thought she lost her way/lines. Her performance did not suffer after she recovered. It was amazing.

I know that when I was in the Scottish play, I would sometimes get so worked up that I began to get lightheaded and start to have trouble breathing. Sometimes, an intense character or scene can catch up to you.

It's wonderful to hear that she handled it like the class act that she is.

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 08:40 PM

Seriously?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scottish_play

---

His username is a reference to "Wicked." How much do you really think he/she knows about theatre?

Does it really matter? It's just a habit.

I think the poster you've all been ridiculing had a point in wondering why call it "the scottish play"...that's all.

---

We are ***officially***

ahem --

off the rails.