Mary Queen of Scots has become something of a mythic figure in the popular imagination, a symbol of feminine agency and of power, principles and heroism. The truth, it seems, is rather less dignified. Even so, from being anointed Queen at six days old, to losing her head in a public spectacle at just 44, this was no ordinary life.
Much of the script is spoken by Huppert, live on stage, but other sections are played from recordings giving the performance a rather disjointed quality. The excellent soundtrack by composer Ludovico Einaudi is also pre-recorded; it would have been superb to have it played live from the pit.
