Elsinore Theatre presents new version of ‘Mary Stuart’
Elgin’s Elsinore Theatre Ensemble closes out its second season with its largest cast yet presenting an ambitious play that aims to resonate with modern audiences.
Elsinore Theatre Ensemble presents Friederich Von Schiller’s “Mary Stuart” in a new version by Peter Oswald running April 12-28. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays in the theater at Side Street Studio Arts in Elgin.
Co-founding member Thomas Neumann of Belvidere directs Schiller’s “Mary Stuart.”
“Realistically, it’s a fictionalized look at the events leading up to Mary Stuart’s execution,” he said. “It’s not per se about her execution, it’s about the surrounding events that lead up to it and the power plays and dynamics that created the environment that led to her being executed.”
Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots, was executed by the order of her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England. The two queens never met in person, but in his writing, Schiller projected what would happen had they actually met. English author Peter Oswald in 2006 wrote an updated re-imagining of Schiller’s play for modern audiences.
A self-proclaimed “Tudor history nerd,” this show was high on Neumann’s wish list.
“Because it fits in that interesting, fictional look at a historical event, you can play with it in many different ways,’ ” he said.
The play is based on historical conjecture but where they’re choosing to live with it is in the broader, timeless arena, said co-founder Jamie Ewing of Crystal Lake, who is playing the Earl of Leicester.
“The kind of stage culture that you would see at a Chicago Shakespeare show, where it’s kind of in this amorphous, timeless space where the dramatic events are happening and even though it’s tied to history it’s not specifically of the history,” he said. “What’s happening in the events of the play resonates with what’s going on in our current political-social climate — the continual battle of women to get equality in any fashion.
“But in terms of the drama, it’s much more like a contemporary meeting of the sweet spot of ‘The Crown’ and ‘Succession.’ There’s some board room-type shenanigans going on, some turns of fate that kind of come out of nowhere and for a contemporary audience, I think that’s going to be the real
appeal of it. Even though you’ve got the historical figures that it’s built around, the unfolding of the events is very contemporary and relatable.”
“Mary Stuart” features a cast of 10, minimal staging, modern dress and a contemporary sensibility.
Co-founder Lori Rohr, of Palatine, portrays Queen Elizabeth. The title character is portrayed by Marisa Snook.
Playing a queen that orders a beheading is a challenging role, Rohr said.
“I just have to find the human part of her,” she said.
In Neumann’s opinion, the challenge of playing Elizabeth in this show is that the character was written by someone who didn’t like her, he said. He agreed that Rohr is finding the softer side of the character.
“Just reading it, there is this villainous nature through the part but when Lori’s doing it, there’s a full-dimensional human being, not just the indecisive, whiny queen that Schiller originally (wrote.) Lori’s performance isn’t tinged with the propaganda of the person who wrote it,” Neumann said. “She created this full being.”
Ewing’s character, the Earl of Leicester, was historically Elizabeth’s favorite, he said.
“He had her ear for decades. He was the person she looked to at court and that relationship helps to shape the way Lori brings nuance to the character,” he said. “You see other sides of her that add to that humanity.”
“Elizabeth is the consummate actress in terms of how she interacts with most people, except for
Leicester,” Rohr said. “That is the anchor, that relationship.”
The characters are all making life and death decisions, Ewing said.
“The stakes are very, very high practically every time anybody is on stage making a decision,” he said.
Despite the heavy subject matter, it’s not completely dark, he said.
“There is a life and death urgency … but there is a lot of elements of humor,” Ewing said. “There are some very funny scenes (that are) really charged with dark humor. There’s a little bit of romance. There’s an element of unrequited dreams and unrequited love in equal measure for certain characters. It’s not just gloom and doom the entire time. There is variety.”
Neumann praises the cast for its hard work and “phenomenal acting” and hopes audiences take notice.
“It’s a great piece. Peter Oswald re-adapted it to more of a modern tongue. It doesn’t feel like a stuffy piece,” he said. “I think there’s this freshness and modernity in the text. It’s a new iteration of a classic story that people can re-visit if they know it or experience it for new in a new setting.”
Ewing agreed and said that every actor gets a moment to shine.
“There’s skin in the game for all the actors,” he said. “Even some of the members who are playing more ensemble parts, they each have these meaty moments in the show that I think people are going to relate to, whether thinking it’s funny, tragic or ironic.”
“I think people should see it because it’s exciting,” Rohr said. “We know the end but how we get to the end — how the plot gets there — there’s a lot of intrigue. It’s interesting and exciting on the way there.”