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Mary, Queen of Scots, became the Queen of Scotland at the age of six. She was raised and educated in France, where she married the Dauphin (heir to the French throne). Alas, her French husband died after a year or so, and she returned to Scotland. Meanwhile, her cousin Elizabeth had risen to claim the English throne after the death of her half-sister, who was known as Bloody Mary due to her persecution of Protestants (she being a Catholic.) Elizabeth was regarded as illegitimate by Catholics. Her father, Henry VIII, had divorced his wife and married her mother, Anne Boleyn, but Catholics didn’t recognize the marriage, thus, Elizabeth was not entitled to the succession to the throne. But England needed a strong ruler, so the protests were set aside. 

Elizabeth—can we call her Betty?—and Mary were both convinced that the British Empire should be theirs alone. Mary pissed off a lot of the Scottish court through her multiple marriages, shady machinations resulting in the death of her second husband and some other grievous mistakes during her reign, until she was forced to abdicate and flee to England (bad choice) and ask her hated cousin for protection.

Well, Betty promptly locked her up for the next 18 years until she finally signed the papers to have Mary’s pretty little head removed from her figure. There was also the matter of Mary’s allegiance to Catholicism versus Betty’s Protestant ties. Hot button issues in those days. 

Interestingly enough, the story was several hundred years old when Friedrich Schiller wrote it. And another two hundred years would pass before Oswald took a swing at updating, primarily to smooth out the harsh, German language dialogue that Schiller wrote in. Oswald wanted to make the story more accessible, particularly to English speakers and also balance the two protagonists’ motivations to show them as being trapped by circumstances as much as their desires. 

I’ve written columns about the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC) before, but I’m hard pressed to remember a performance I enjoyed quite as much as this one: the stories of two women whose choices were not just personal but upon which the fate of entire dynasties and countries might hang. It is enough to make a girl lose her head! 

Sure, the tale could probably have been condensed some without losing any pertinent details. I noticed a few nodding heads in the audience during the run, but there was plenty of action to keep us engaged and awake. I’ve made no secret of the fact that Shakespeare is rarely my cup of tea, but Elizabethan dramas like this are so full of plot twists and back stories that I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into the play, even though I knew how it would end.

Director Ian Gallanar shows his command of the material by introducing the show with some lovely period-based music sung by cast members. And the pace moves from a slow simmer to a nice roil before the end of the first act. The buildup leading to the tragically poignant conclusion’s full boil clicks into place nicely thanks to the director’s attention to the details. 

The few movable set pieces, especially the throne befitting a queen, were enough to keep the largely bare stage well-dressed and conveyed each location well. Set changes were handled smoothly and efficiently, the sign of a well-planned production. The barred and guarded rooms where Mary lives were well suggested by the set designs of Dan O’Brien. Some interesting and always appropriate lighting schemes by Dean Leong highlighted the stage nicely. And the costumes by Kristina Lambdin were outstanding. 

The entire cast seems well suited to their roles, though some of the accents tended to land more ‘Mid-Atlantic’ than Elizabethan England or Scotland. One of the more noteworthy actors was Jamie Virostko as Nurse Hanna Kennedy, Mary’s stalwart companion. She flutters and frets over her charge with a palpable devotion. 

Also to be singled out for an honorable mention by me was DeJeanette Horne as the Earl of Leicester, who harbors deep feelings for Mary but is not free to show his support. Horne carries himself with all the pomp and dignity of a British Lord. And while I wished for just a little more variation in the zealousness of his Amias Paulet, Steven Todd Smith is quite watchable in the part. I think it was the killer eyes. 

Both queens were perfection. Lesley Malin’s Elizabeth never once let her regal bearing slip, even when she was torn between her personal animosity towards Mary while trying to weigh what would ultimately best serve her rampant ambition and devotion to her country. 

But I’ll give the top award to Lise Bruneau’s Mary Stuart. Her carefree abandon at being allowed a day outside to frolic in the grass, shoeless and leaping about unencumbered as a child, was flawless. Speaking of royally regal composure—the final scenes, when her fate has been sealed, were presented with a resigned acceptance that her long-suffered imprisonment was coming to an end and were a master class in acting.

I’m a fan of intrigues at court and also stories about strong monarchs, especially when they are women. And if they’re written in English that is easily understood and presented by extremely talented actors, I’m a happy reviewer. So go. See Mary Stuart. Learn some history. And enjoy the fine displays of exceptional performance on a local stage. This is a royal good time!

Mary Stuart runs April 25 through May 18th, 2025 at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, 7 South Calvert Street, Baltimore MD. For tickets and more information, click here.

Header image: Lise Bruneau and Lesley Malin in Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s Mary Stuart. Photo by Kiirstn Pagan Photography.