Mary Stuart Reviews??

[SirNotAppearing55]

Posted: 4/2/09 at 11:05am

Has anyone seen Mary Stuart? Should I get tickets now or wait for opening?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/2/09 at 11:07am

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=993854#3805485

Updated On: 4/2/09 at 11:07 AM

[Insider2]

Posted: 4/2/09 at 12:02pm

I saw it and was pretty unimpressed.

I know that this thing comes flying into town on a pile of rave reviews for the London production, and so maybe it's just me, but seriously, it looks like it was produced for about twenty-five cents.

Bare stage. Basic lighting. Barely anything in the way of costumes. And the much talked about "rain"? Well, it rains for about five minutes. There was more rain in the Roundabout's production of Pygmailion. Aside from the actors, each of whom gives an incredible performance, it feels like watching a production in a college black-box theatre.

As for the adaptation, it seems that the adapter, Peter Oswald, simply wanted to see how many words he could fit into a script. This thing is three hours long and you feel each and every minute of it...slowly...ticking...by. Things do speed up slightly in Act Two, when all the plot points are in place, but for reasons I cannot understand, he puts the most interesting action off-stage and then the characters just talk about what happened.

Still, Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter are both just outstanding, and the entire ensemble of men who surround them are just as good. I admit that I was surprised how little stage time Janet McTeer has in Act One. The action is mostly devoted to the men. However, in Act Two, she really brings it on in a performance that, like Walter's, deserves award nominations. It is really an acting lesson, so if you are interested in seeing these types of pitch-perfect performances, despite the material they are performing, perhaps you might enjoy it.

A lot of people around me bolted during the intermission. I thought about joining them but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Again, things pick up somewhat during Act Two, but overall, this is a real snoozer.

Maybe it's just me. I suspect it will get raves and be the snob hit of the season.