MARY STUART Reviews- Page 2

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 9:14am

Great review from Brantley! I'm very happy for everyone involved.

Still, I tend to agree with MiracleElixir that this may be overlooked in the best revival catagory, and only receive nominations for the two women. As wonderful as this production is, the raison d'etre was surely to bring McTeer and Walter to the New York stage.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 9:20am

It got the key Brantley rave, though, so who knows. (And wow, what a category Play Revivals will be this year. If they keep it out of the Tony broadcast again I'm going to kick something.)

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 9:56am

Bergen Record is a Rave

Another retelling of the well-known story of England's Queen Elizabeth I and her rival and prisoner Mary, Queen of Scots will inevitably be worn and dusty with history. Right?

Guess again. The revival of Friedrich Schiller's 1800 play "Mary Stuart," which opened Sunday at the Broadhurst Theatre, is vibrant, audacious and, as the plots are hatched that will send Mary to the gallows, improbably funny.

This alchemy is the result of a charged and witty adaptation by Peter Oswald, imaginative direction by Phyllida Lloyd and glorious performances by Janet McTeer (Mary) and Harriet Walter (Elizabeth).

http://www.northjersey.com/entertainment/stage/43262762.html?page=all

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 09:56 AM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 10:05am

How wonderful for a season in which nearly every play revival was a critical success.

And then there was Hedda... :-/

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 10:09am

Hedda, Man for All Seasons, (I predict shortly) The Philanthropist...see a trend here?

[leefowler]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 10:45am

Congratulations to Mary Stuart! But...

Am I the only one here who thought this play was a bit boring?

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 11:27am

Am I the only one here who thought this play was a bit boring?
Yes.

Hedda, Man for All Seasons, (I predict shortly) The Philanthropist...see a trend here?
Ah the American Airlines Theatre...wah wah.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 11:43am

I agree there were parts of it that were slow, but when it def. picked up steam. The second act was wonderful.

Well, they're performing in a theater named after an airline, so I can't blame them.

I really think they should allow the plays to perform a scene or something. Imagine how much of a ticket sales boost Mary Stuart would get if they performed the scene in the rain.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:24pm

I wish they could perform scenes again, or maybe even let the actors in plays be the ones to present the awards. That way they could promote the plays a little too.

I don't know if it would work/make any sense to those who hadn't seen the plays, but if the actors were allowed to present the awards in character it would be even better!

The Stuart women fighting. Hope Davis could vomit on the list on nominees and they would have to bring out a new card. Angela Lansbury could look in her crystal ball and predict the winner. I think it could be a lot of fun.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:29pm

Newsday is a Rave

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-etstu2012670671apr18,0,5248631.story

Just when you think you're catching up with this speedway of a Broadway spring season, along comes a real stunner to move the finish line again. How thrilling.

"Mary Stuart," which opened last night in a production from London's Donmar Warehouse, is a riveting showcase for Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter - two towering actresses in a monumentally entertaining regina smackdown.

But this is more than just a star vehicle about the deadly collision of the Protestant Elizabeth I and Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scotland. Phyllida Lloyd, the director known here only for "Mamma, Mia!," has staged Peter Oswald's taut three-hour compression of Friedrich Schiller's massive 1800 drama with all the visceral, unpredictable psychology of a popular page-turner.

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 12:29 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:39pm

New Yorker is a Rave. Only the capsule is available online.

...The excellent support of John Benjamin Hickey, Chandler Williams, and Nicholas Woodeson as backbiting Tudor courtiers in Friedrich Schiller's 1805 play "Mary Stuart" (at the Broadhurst, in an outstanding new version by Peter Oswald) gives a special wallop to the evening's main event: the showdown between the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots (the strapping Janet McTeer), against Queen Elizabeth I (the fine-boned Harriet Walter). "Mary Stuart" is an exercise in eloquence and intrigue. McTeer and Walter are British actors of exemplary intelligence and sinew. They are alert and articulate; they parse every nuance of every word. The political pragmatism may be predictable, but the theatrical pyrotechnics with which it's displayed are exceptional.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/theatre/2009/04/27/090427crth_theatre_lahr

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 12:39 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 1:21pm

Hahahahhaha!! Hope Davis vomiting on the list of nominees!

Something tells me the Tony Awards aren't too far off from actually doing this. They've pulled every other stunt and failed. Maybe Davis' projectile vomiting would get some more viewers...

PS: Threadjack but when do they announce the Tony host?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 1:41pm

I know, maybe my idea was a little farfetched, but I feel like they could incorporate the plays somehow into the telecast, even if they didn't show scenes. I mean the plays NEED publicity.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 2:02pm

I think I heard Hugh Jackman a few months back. I hope that it's true and I didn't hallucinate it!

I had a laugh over Hope Davis projectile vomiting. That would be fabulous.

EDIT:

I, too, was at the opening last night, and though I might not have agreed with Schiller's stance on the whole Elizabeth I/Mary Stuart affair, I loved the production as a whole and thought the performances were stellar. It was thrilling to see Janet McTeer on-stage, and I was amazed by the way she completely invested herself, both physically and emotionally, into the character of Mary. Nervous anger and determination just radiate off of her, and the final moments where she calmly and beatifically accepts her fate are just as affecting.

That said, I found myself even more drawn to Harriet Walter. She IS Elizabeth in her bearing, mannerisms, and expressive face, and she gave the iconic queen a very human edge. I spent almost the entire confrontation scene watching her react to Mary's tirade. I really hope she gets some recognition for her wonderful work.

The rain effect is also unbelievable. I was expecting something similar to 110 in the Shade, but it actually looked like rain, rather than just a sheet of water.

I'm so glad the reviews for this have been so positive. Hopefully they'll draw a crowd to the Broadhurst!

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 02:02 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 2:09pm

Agreed.

I kinda liked what they did last year with the new plays but I mean they at LEAST need to announce the Best Revival of a Play nominees on the air.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 2:53pm

I think they will have it on the air this time. As far as we know there are no plans at the moment to showcase non nominated musicals and etc. That is what put Book in a Musical and Revival of a Play off the air. In the past years it was only the design categories and orchestrations that were off the air.