Political obligations, human nature and the emotional pain of not knowing what choices to make highlight “Mary Stuart,” a tale that depicts the best and worst of people in a two and a half hour runtime.
Friday night, NIU saw the opening of its newest production, “Mary Stuart,” an intensely dramatic story that was elevated by the performances of the actors and the artful approach to their set design.
“Mary Stuart” is a historical drama that revolves around the execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and her hesitant executioner, Queen Elizabeth I.
The NIU School of Theatre and Dance hosted the production in the Black Box Theatre of the Stevens Building and welcomed a near full audience.
“I was looking forward to seeing this production the second I found out about it. I was so ready for it,” said Kylee Fruin, a first-year bachelor of fine arts acting major.
The production began as the house lights dimmed and rose again on a dialogue-free prelude featuring a carefully choreographed shuffle from the actors. This initial expositional set piece roped the audience in and generated anticipation for the rest of the play as peers of the cast shared their excitement and support.
“There’s always support from everyone; immediately they (upperclassmen) made us feel so welcome, so coming here and seeing them I feel so proud,” said Lorelei Wesselowski, a first-year bachelor of fine arts acting major.
The actors delivered lines with French, Scottish or English accents with varied degrees of success – the Old English dialogue, combined with the wavering accents, made the first few scenes admittedly difficult to understand.
One’s ears do adjust quickly, however, and the accents become more natural as the play progresses, proving this issue to be minor and not distracting after initial scenes.
Standout performances to note include Mary Stuart (Julia Isabella Prieto), Queen Elizabeth (Cornelia Reed), Mortimer (Paul James Lang) and Lord Dudley (Tyler Page).
Memorable moments included Mary’s speech to Elizabeth at the start of Act 2, Elizabeth’s soliloquy on the toll of ruling and a particularly emotional scene featuring Lord Dudley near the end of the play. Many audience members found themselves teary-eyed and invested as the story unfolded.
“I thought it was amazing. I saw people in the crowd crying, and I didn’t cry, but I was getting emotional,” said Hannah Beach, a senior art education major.
The play featured no physical sets, excluding the throne Elizabeth sits in. The crew used lighting in a masterful way to create the setpieces between each scene. The framing of characters on stage was also expertly done, as lights would come on or dim out, subtly pulling audience focus, without ever drawing attention to the lighting itself.
The play ended with a standing ovation from the audience as cast members came center stage to take their bows, throwing thanks to the production crew as well.
For opening night, any nervousness or fears were undetectable, as the cast and crew came together and presented something truly special.
Shows will continue for a second weekend at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are free for NIU students, $12 for non-NIU students, $18 for seniors and staff and $20 for adults and can be purchased ahead of time online.
