Frankly, Janie and I were not too much taken with this one. And how were we to know that, 10 years later, Anna Massey would become one of Janie’s regular clients? And that more than 20 years later both of us would have a go on Mary Stuart’s tennis court at Falkland Palace, which remarkably still plays?
But I digress.
A fine cast, not only Anna Massey but Isabelle Huppert, Tim Pigott-Smith and a fine collection of RNT regulars, directed by Howard Davies. The Theatricalia entry for this production can be found here.
It just didn’t really float our boat.
What did the critics make of it, I hear you cry?
Michael Billington described it as “far from perfect” but commendable. I’d go with that:
Billington on Mary Stuart Fri, Mar 22, 1996 – 2 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Paul Taylor in The Independent described it as a “far from unrewarding evening” – I can go with that too.
Michael Coveney, on the other hand, was absolutely taken with it:
Coveney on Mary Stuart Sun, Mar 24, 1996 – 71 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com