In clumsier hands, the dramatic retelling of the rivalry between two sixteenth-century queens – the virginal Elizabeth I and the adulterous Mary Stuart – might have descended into a camp, two-dimensional farce between the apparent madonna and whore.
But Friedrich Schiller's masterpiece, which first opened in Weimar in 1800, gives its central women plenty of depth and nuance, skilfully unpacked here by the rather wonderful Faction Theatre Company.
Reimagining Mary Stuart's final days in Fotheringay Castle, imprisoned by her cousin Elizabeth before she is executed for treason, Mark Leipacher's production strips the black box studio to its bare basics: wall projections serve as flashcards, helping the audience with historic detail as well as moving the drama along.
The 11-strong ensemble (currently performing three plays in seven weeks together) fill the space, letting you forget how little else is in it.Plenty of credit must go to the two leads, though. Mary is impetuous and fiery, yes, but as Derval Mellett shows us, tragic and stoic too.
And while Kate Sawyer's regal and haughty Elizabeth commands real presence, it's her vulnerability and crumbling self-doubt, without the usual overwrought histrionics, that impresses most.