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Mary Stuart Reviews
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| 1 |
Fantastic show Review by: Nick, Aug 21, 2009 |
| Loved the show. Everything was superb. The acting was great. The rain seen was breathtaking. Happy I got a chance to see it right before it closed. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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| 2 |
There's something about Mary...Stuart ! Review by: Diract66, Aug 6, 2009 |
| Saw this play yesterday in a packed house. The orchestra completely full and mez. three quarters full. This play has fine performances from all involved, especially the 'Two Queens'. I feel Janet McTeer(Mary)did an excellent job of conveying her anger and rage throughout the play. Her most dramatic scene is in the beginning of the second act where she wins her freedom but looses her life in her rain soaked scene with the equally ... read more talented Harriet Walker(Elizabeth). This is a play you have to stick with because of its length. A long three hours! The one young lady in front of me left at intermission, too busy with her cell phone to sit through a play where she might have to spend some time thinking. The set designer stole his money on this show. Black paint on sale and discarded furniture from the street. The lighting very dim and one fabulous special effect you have to wait an hour and a half to see. The costume designer had the ladies in period clothes and then ran out of money so the men wore their own suits( same person). It might help to know the story beforehand but there is plenty of information by the playwright so if you listen and stay awake you will be fine. The older man next to the cell phone girl fell asleep during the first act, but being older, wisely stayed after intermission an stayed awake for the second act. By the way, if you read the playbill above the WHO'S WHO, you get all the info. you need to watch this play. If you can't get through this play, what will you do next month when Hamlet arrives at this theatre? See Mary Stuart and get to know what classic drama is all about, written 200 years ago! |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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| 3 |
A real masterpiece. Not to be missed Review by: Padre Paolo, Aug 3, 2009 |
This modern translation/interpretation of Shiller's drama while sometimes pedestrian, works terrifically for the magnificent performance of the two leading ladies, the more than competent acting of the rest of the cast, the brilliant direction and the stunning production.
I must add that the production is also stunningly bare and very, very effective.
A real treat for theater lovers and beginners alike.
I saw it twice; once by myself ... read more and then with a friend and her 19 years old nephew.
They both loved it and I strongly recommend it. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
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| 4 |
Great Script, Recommended for Theater Fans Review by: BroadwayBabySawIt, Jul 27, 2009 |
| We have seen this play twice - once during previews, and this week almost at the end of the run. We went back again because the story is so good. We loved the great script, and some of the actors - Harriet Walker as Elizabeth, John Benjamin Hickey as Leicester, and Brian Murray as Shrowsberry are amazing actors, and much can be learned from them by other actors. We like Janet McTeer as Mary, but wish she showed more shading, rather than over the ... read more top all the time. The big difference between the 2 times that we saw this play was that the men have grown into their roles - they are more confident now, and have found their characters. The director did a poor job, seeing that so many of the actors had to find their own way, and the blocking is so opera rather than theater. With a really skilled and caring theater director, this show could have been groundbreaking and truly an emotional experience, rather than overly dramatic shouting and grandstanding most of the time. The only thing that the director avoided is the really annoying pulling of curtains across the stage to change scenes, a ploy that destroyed the recent Glass Menagerie with Jessica Lange (all we remember is the screeching noise of the curtain hooks being pulled across again and again). But do see Mary Stuart for the great script, which far eclipses most of the throwaway stuff that we are subject to on the stage and at the movies - this one shows how it can be done, if the writer really values a good plot. And in the right hands, this show could have enlightened the debate about current and recent politics, but alas, it missed that mark. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| 5 |
May stuart -A Long Time ago Review by: equity member, Jul 18, 2009 |
| I saw this broadhurst production 7/17/09. How in God did the protagonists remember all their lines? How did older members of the audience hold thier bldders? Frst ime I ever saw a firat act go almost 3-1/2 hours. Thed play ran 3 hours and that isn't what re call "tight." Sopporting cast members should be taughtr to project heir voices. The director should learn that having two actors staged opposite each other on a direct line isn't much ... read more more than community theatre. For the first few minutes into the play, I thought I ws watching a community theatre production. What a stark set. One should not go into this one without a backgound in the plot. I would save my money the TKTS tickets were terrible. I ill learn for the future. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 6 |
Review by: , Jul 11, 2009 |
| Really odd. Most of the acting was just subperb (Elizabeth, Leicester, Shrewsbury, Burleigh, Hanna)while some seemed to have originated in the Emoting Olympics (Mary, Mortimer). Mary came off as simply frenzied and nutty. The minimalist staging was initially distracting, eventually fascinating. The strangest aspect, though, was the tendency to move the audience into a moment where we verged on powerful insight into a character, and then ... read more playing the next few lines for broad laughs. Over and over, this tactic severed the audience's emotional connection with the story. We should have been torn and emotionally buffetted along with both queens. Instead we were pretty interested in a pseudo-historical tale. |
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| 7 |
Two Queens both vie for Supremecy Review by: TheatreLover, Jul 10, 2009 |
| If you come to New York and want a good, old-fashioned classic history play with some very accomplished acting, you're sure to enjoy "Mary Stuart". While the stark production and lack of a cohesive design element along with some rather lazy direction might leave you feeling gloomier than Mary herself, the cast do a remarkable job at breathing new life into this antiquated script. The new translation is easy on the ears and perfomances by Janet ... read more McTeer and Harriet Walter will leave you contemplating who is the better queen. (For me, Harriet Walter was impeccable). So, if classic history plays are your thing, you're sure to enjoy "Mary Stuart". |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Adults
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| 8 |
Powerful play, acting not so Review by: , Jul 8, 2009 |
A powerful play, takes a bit to get into the plot but in the end it is very well done.
The staging is minimal and interesting as are the costumes.
However I found the actors to be posing more than acting.
I wish there was more nuance and variance rather than one high pitch.
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 9 |
OK Review by: SGO, Jul 4, 2009 |
| Good points: Interesting factual story; excellent acting; and a great rainstorm! Bad points: Overlong (WAY overlong); hard to understand many of the accents; and very talky. Before seeing the play, I read "The Other Queen", an excellent historical novel about these two queens. I'm really glad I did, because I would have had a much harder time understanding what the heck was going on in the play. I'm glad I saw it, but can't really recommend ... read more it without reservations. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Recommended for:
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| 10 |
Review by: Tom B., May 11, 2009 |
"Mary Stuart"
Broadhurst Theatre
Intrigue never seems to lose its appeal. Subterfuge, double-dealing, mendacity -- all are staples of drama. And all are in full display at this British import that is a revival of Friedrich Schiller's classic play, first performed in 1800. This version is a new translation by Peter Oswald that opened in 2005 at the Donmar Warehouse in London.
The story of Mary, Queen of Scots has been told in ... read more many forms (none more to the point than the Monty Python version.)
Mary Stuart is cousin to Elizabeth I, and pretender to the throne -- though I suppose pretension is in the eye of the beholder. Ostensibly arrested for her role in the murder of her husband, she is held in custody primarily because of her ambition.
Although the rampant duplicity is fun to watch -- and reminds us that lying in the service of blatant self-interest is far older than the Bush administration -- the real draw here are the performances by Janet McTeer as Mary and Harriet Walter as Elizabeth. These are bravura performances, the sort of thing young stage actors ought to study if they want to learn how to hold a large audience in a Broadway theater.
Not many laughs here, but lots to learn. |
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| 11 |
Masterful Review by: Yolanda, May 4, 2009 |
Seldom am I at a loss for words (of which I'm sure you can attest,) however I am at a loss to how to suitably describe the current production of _Mary Stuart_ at the Broadhurst Theatre. To call it memorizing or pure perfection, sounds somewhat gushy and I fear might ring hollow. I assure you there is simply no other description for this remarkable production directed by Phyllida Lloyd. The adapted (by Peter Oswald) script ... read more of Friedrich Schiller's play is pristine. It is clear, concise, funny, and beautifully interpreted by a first rate, predominantly British, cast. I could not take my eyes off of Janet McTeer (Mary Stuart) who has an amount of dialogue to rival a one-woman play. She is funny, passionate, desperate and clever, all without any sign of acting. Despite the title of the show and Ms. McTeer's pages of dialogue, this really is an ensemble piece. All the players are up to the task and work beautifully together. The space is used brilliantly, as is sound and lighting. The Broadhurst is a large theatre, and lesser performers would be dwarfed by the black brick wall that constitutes a set. Appearing to speak in natural tones, the sound of these classically trained actors, devoid of amplification, soared through the heights of the balcony. Harriet Walter (Elizabeth) actually performed an entire scene with her back to the audience, speaking upstage. A moment of silence for the British please.
It is wonderfully satisfying to see such a fabulous production. It is affirming that talent will always trump gimmick and that truly transcendent theatrical experiences still exist on Broadway. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 12 |
It's Well Done, but Long Review by: , May 3, 2009 |
I found this production to be main line Broadway drama. Excellent actors. Anglophiles will probably enjoy it more than others, but attendees who appreciate drama will not leave disappointed. The first act begins a bit slow with a bit to much dialogue ( monologue ? ), but it picks up.
Interesting costumes. Not a "gotta see" for me, but a very enjoyable theater experience. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Tourists, Adults
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Turning over in her royal grave, she is! Review by: Wendy B, Apr 30, 2009 |
I don't understand the positive reviews posted here. This play was a travesty from the opening to the bitter and long overdue ending. Actors and actresses talking loudly with British accents is not necessarily great acting; no, it takes more. It takes understanding the role and the interplay.
The producers seem confused about whether Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I had their confrontation in 1557 or in 2009 (hint: it was 1557); but that's ... read more not all they're confused about. The story of Mary Stuart was brilliantly told with Katherine Hepburn in the role, before I was born. Better to rent that one than to waste 3 hours on this thankfully limited run of a dreadful mess. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Business Associate
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| 14 |
DON'T MISS THIS ONE! Review by: elotz, Apr 26, 2009 |
| I saw MARY STUART in previews and loved it. I went to see it again after it opened and loved it ever more. Janet McTeer (Mary Stuart) and Harriet Walter (Elizabeth I) are brilliant. The whole production is put together absolutely magically. If you like drama with fabulous acting, this is where you should go. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
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Anyone
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| 15 |
Fantastic performances, excellent play! Review by: NativeChelsea, Apr 17, 2009 |
| We just saw this show in previews last night and all thought it was excellent. The play is so well written and the performances were flawless. Janet McTeer (Mary Stuart) shines and is not to be missed! Yes the play runs long (almost 3 hours) but the pace keeps your attention. This is what real theatre is all about!! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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